


Twisted Fate

by Fefipranon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Eremika - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, RivaMika Jam, Smut, Titan Poop, levimika - Freeform, rivamika
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:48:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 93,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fefipranon/pseuds/Fefipranon
Summary: Eren and Levi share a secret about Mikasa's past. Mikasa confesses her feelings to Eren, only to be rejected. After watching her almost die, Eren realizes he has feelings for her, but she has already moved on to Levilandia."I thought they hated each other"Before losing hope he thinks that maybe... if he tells Mikasa who the captain really is... he might have a chance, or fuck it up?Is the Ackerman bond stronger than a lifetime of memories together?Jelousy, drama, a shared secret, and Titans, what could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Isabel Magnolia, Erwin Smith/Hange Zoë, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Levi, Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer
Comments: 55
Kudos: 153





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, titans don't have a defined sex but they do have an asshole so they can poop, lol.  
> This is my first time writing something so any advice or correction is welcomed.  
> English is not my first language so if you find errors please let me know!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts with a summary of the events of the series. If you already saw AOT you can skip the big paragraphs of history. Also, Eren warning Mikasa about Levi. :)

Erwin Smith, the 13th commander of the Survey Corps, started giving what could've possibly been, the worst recruitment speech in the history of the Survey Corps:

_"...In those 4 years, over 90 percent of the Scouting Legion members died. 90 percent in just four years. According to our most optimistic estimates, we'll have to sacrifice at least 5 times more soldiers and 20 more years before it will be possible to dispatch a large force to Wall Maria again. And even these figures aren't realistic."_

**Mikasa P.O.V.**  
Interesting recruitment speech for a world with a history where asymmetrically deformed man-eating giants, called Titans, had nearly reduced humanity to extinction. The last remaining humans live behind huge walls that keep them safe from these creatures. Unless you were a psychopathic suicidal maniac who dared to join the Survey Corps, you will probably live all your life inside the walls, never knowing the world outside of them.

Our military consists of three branches: The Garrison, which patrol the walls that protect humans from Titans, Military Police, the most desired position in the most heavily fortified and farthest away from the titan's area, and then... the Survey Corps, the ones crazy enough to venture outside the human territory in order to fight back against the Titans, or... to get eaten, digested, and ending up as some sort of titan gore shit show...

Sigh...

_How the hell did I end up here?_

_Him... that's right...this is all... because of him._

_Eren..._

Ever since he was a kid, he dreamed of joining the Survey Corps, I tried to dissuade him, but this stubborn suicidal man was impossible to persuade once he set his mind on a target. His dad, Grisha Yeager, used to visit my parents, their friendship saved my life. On one of his visits, accompanied by Eren, he found my parents' dead bodies, and I was missing. Three men had arrived at my home to kidnap me. They killed my parents in front of me when they tried to protect me. Eren, on his own, found the location where they had me at the time, posing as a lost boy looking for his parents, he persuaded the man that opened the door and stabbed him, killing him in the act, barged in surprising a second man who was sitting on a table, and killed him too. Then, he started to undo my restraints when a third man surprised us and grabbed him by the neck suffocating him to death. The struggling caused Eren to drop the knife close to me, and I froze, watching the life being drained out of the body of the boy who willingly killed two men just to rescue me. He broke the spell when he screamed at me...

"Fight!... Fight damm it!... If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you don't fight, you can't win!"

... I grabbed the knife and killed the third man stabbing him in the back straight through the heart. The adrenaline on my body was suddenly replaced with uncertainty and fear. I was cold, sad, and lost, he took his scarf and wrapped it around me. His parents took me in since then, and Eren introduced me to his best friend Armin, we were inseparable, three best friends just happy in the middle of the simplicity of our lives, until...

The walls. The Walls were built a century ago when humans were almost brought to extinction by the titans. There are three walls, starting with the outermost: Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Sina. The king, of course, lives in the innermost section protected by the three walls, Eren's family (my adoptive family), lived in the outermost section having only the protection of one wall.

One day, a huge titan, bigger than the wall protecting us, appeared, breaking the main gate allowing titans to get in and run havoc, killing, destroying, and eating humans as they pleased. Eren's mom, Carla Yeager, got stuck below the rubble of what used to be our home, we were kids, we tried to save her. When we couldn't lift the rubble that was on top of her we ran to ask for help. Hannes, a captain of the Garrison military branch, tried to help us when a big creepy smiling titan appeared walking towards us. His mom pleaded Hannes to run away with us, and after a failed attempt to confront the titan, Hannes took us and ran away.

Her last words were... "Survive!!", and I promised to do everything in my power to grant her wish, survive, the both of us, no matter what it takes. We watched her die, as Hannes ran away carrying me and Eren, we watched...

...how the titan grabbed...

...and ate her...

That event fueled Eren's hate for titans and his goal of joining the survey corps.

\--------------------------------------

**Author P.O.V**

"What can we do when the people who have power don't fight? If you're afraid of fighting with your own Lives, then please help me!" - Eren screamed at his trial causing the room to an abrupt silence, he was trying to convince the jury that he wasn't a threat to humanity.

Staring at him, overwhelmed by the heavy atmosphere in the courtroom, Mikasa directed her gaze to the boy sitting next to her, Armin. She closed her eyes remembering all the events that put them in the current situation...

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

During our first expedition outside of the walls, the team did not expect to encounter so many Titans. The struggle and inexperience of them were evident since the number of casualties kept growing. Desperate to save his comrades, Eren tried to fight the titans without success. I was far away from Armin and him to help when a big titan appeared in front of Armin paralyzing him with fear. The titan grabbed the yellow-haired kid and threw him in his mouth...

...which is the first step of the assembly line that ends up with the completely useless and unnecessary product of titan poop.

Eren watched in horror as he sped up to save him. A moment before the titan could bite the kid, Eren grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out... but, as a consequence, he ended up in the titan's mouth. Armin watched with horror as the Titan ate his best friend in front of him. When I arrived at the scene, Armin, ashamed, and traumatized told me what happened. Suddenly an abnormal Titan appeared, stronger, and faster than all the other Titans that were in the area. The abnormal titan fought and killed most of the regular titans allowing the remaining survey corps alive to survive. Suddenly, the titan collapsed and Eren's body popped out of it alive.

At that moment everyone knew, even Eren himself, that he was a titan shifter and the news did not bode well with the general population, and the government. Today, Eren's fate would be decided during a trial. The court will decide whether he will be dealt with by the military police or the survey corps. The military police want to kill Eren and dissect him for research purposes, while the survey corps wants him to join their elite team to help with the extermination of Titans.

**Author P.O.V.**

...Present...

So far, the commotion with the different arguments towards Eren had not stopped. The jury is leaning against him, and in a desperate attempt to convince them, Eren started shouting...

"...I'll tell these cowards... you... cowards... Just shut your mouths and invest everything in me!!" his voice echoed the room that suddenly went silent at his words. As soon as he saw the reaction to his words, he regretted it. The jury was staring at him with fear, expecting him to transform any moment now.

After a couple of seconds of agonizing silence, a Captain from the survey corps started to walk towards the middle of the room where Eren was handcuffed to the ground. When he arrived, he immediately kicked Eren on the face causing him to bleed... making Mikasa to gasp in shock of what was happening.

He kept kicking and punching him when a tooth fell to the ground. Watching this with horror Mikasa started clenching her fists... Suddenly the memories from their history together started to pop up in her mind as she closed her eyes...

_"It's okay now you can relax... you're Mikasa right?"_

PUNCH. gasp. KICK. The captain kept beating Eren on the courtroom floor...

_The sound of the struggle, the knife on the floor next to her, "Fight! Fight dammit! If you don't fight, we are gonna die..."_

PUNCH. UPPERCUT.

_"If you don't fight we can't win..."_

Mikasa's knuckles turned white from the pressure of her clenched fists digging her nails under her palms, as more memories filled in...

_"You can... have this... is warm right... Come on let's hurry up and go home... to our house"_

Pained groan. PUNCH.

She started shaking with anger, drowning on her memories...

KICK. PUNCH.

Her adoptive mom's last words echoed on her mind, _"Mikasa! Eren! SURVIVE!"_

Her eyes flew open as she stood up ready to barge in and kill the arrogant captain who was beating the kid that saved her life all those years ago.

"Mikasa wait!"- Armin yelled while holding her tight to restrain her from running to Eren.

"He is going to kill him!" - Mikasa said struggling with Armin's hold trying to get free.

"No Mikasa! He is saving him!"

"How can you say that! Look at him, he is bleeding everywhere!"

"Mikasa, do you trust me?"

At his words, Mikasa's struggle against his hold ceased, she stared at him while tears were falling from her eyes. "I've always trusted you Armin"

"Then trust me on this, all of this, as cruel as it might seem, is part of the plan to save him"

"But, Armin..."- Mikasa pleaded between sobs.

"Trust me."- Armin told her guiding her back to sit on her chair

At that moment the beating had stopped and the arrogant captain directed himself to the jury

Captain: **"This is just my opinion... but I've always found pain the most effective punishment."**

"Armin..."

Captain: **"The lesson you need to learn right now can't be thought with words... only with action. And you are kneeling which makes you easy to kick."**

"Who is this Captain asshole?"

Armin put his hands in her clenched knuckles to help her calm.

"He is Capt-" - Armin replied when he was cut short...

"Levi, wait!" - a member of the military police yelled at the captain that was beating the shit out of Eren, "What will we do if we get him mad and he turns into a titan?"

The Captain directed his gaze to address the question "You are the ones that want to dissect him, right?" he sighed, "He killed 20 titans when he was a titan himself, stopping only out of exhaustion. The fact that he has intelligence could make him a formidable enemy, but he is not MY enemy. Everyone who's persecuted him think carefully too. I wonder... could you really kill him?" after a long pause, he directed his gaze to the jury to continue, "We have a proposal... due to many unknown elements behind his power... I propose that you let me take responsibility for him as a failsafe. If he loses control, I can kill him" the Captain then stared at Mikasa "and it will be no half measure", redirecting his gaze to the jury "I doubt the military police can give the same reassurance." finishing his statement he walked back to his chair with the same calm and arrogance demeanor that he left it in the first place. The court then entered a recess.

Armin and Mikasa walked out of the courtroom in hopes to see Eren or maybe just calm down. Down the hall, Mikasa noted that Eren was standing next to Captain asshole when he turns around and sees her. He asked for permission to approach and started walking towards them.

Hiding her nerves Mikasa tried to put on a fake smile for him, hoping that it might somehow appease him. When he arrived, she saw all the bruises and blood on his face and body, at the same time that the Captain asshole started to walk towards them, with rage and fury Mikasa started to barge at him when Eren and Arming held her, preventing her from attacking.

"Aren't you too old for tantrums? I take you are Mikasa Ackerman"- he said

"And you are the biggest dick in the history of humanity!"

Levi stared at her with his usual emotionless expression raising a brow and crossing his arms over his chest. "Hm, thanks for the compliment" he responded without a hint of surprise on his tone.

He changed his gaze to Eren, completely ignoring her presence, "Yeager, if the court rule in favor of the Survey Corps, we start tomorrow early, don't be late, there is a lot of-", he paused to stare at Mikasa, "discipline-", returning his gaze at Eren, "-that we have to cover".

"Yes sir!"- Eren responded, tightening his hold over Mikasa's body that was bursting with rage.

Levi turned on his heels not even bothering to look back at her and left.

After a few deep breaths and meaningless conversations, Eren waited until Mikasa's rage had subsided enough.

"Mikasa...."- Eren said with a concerned expression on his face. "We need to talk"

Immediately worried, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I need to ask something from you", unsure of how to keep going, "I need you to promise me that you will do this for me"

With a confused look on her face she said "Eren, I would do anything for you"

With real consternation in his eyes, "Even something that you will definitely not like?"

"Eren... just tell me"

He started pacing around rubbing his shoulders, "I know that Armin stopped you from protecting me when Captain Levi was beating the shit out of me in court."

Her soft expression suddenly hardened with anger at the thought of it, he noticed it making him more anxious and unsure of how to keep going. "Mikasa, I know your promise to my mom to protect me, I know how deep that feeling is in your every action", he sighed, "...I too feel the same way towards you, and for that reason, I need you to promise me that you will never intervene when it comes to Captain Levi"

"Eren... I can't, I-"

"No!"- Eren cut her off, "Don't you understand!? I wouldn't mind if you tried to protect me if I was being beaten by somebody else, ANYONE else, but not Levi!" he sighed, "I know you are strong, stronger than 100 men combined, but he is humanity strongest Mika, he can actually hurt you."

"I can take_"

"Stop!" Eren screamed at her, "Mikasa I know you can take care of yourself, but if I see someone, that could actually hurt you, putting even a finger on you I will lose my shit if there is something I am sure of, is that!"

She made a move to protest but Eren stopped her, "Anyone but Levi. PROMISE!"

With the sour flavor of the words, she responded "I promise"

He pulled her into his arms and giving her a tight hug with a trembling voice he said to her ear, "Thank you".

\------------------------------------------------------------------

...Back at court...

Judge: **"We are here to decide which branch of the military will be responsible for your activities"**

"Soo... did he talked to you?" - Armin asked Mikasa already knowing what Eren asked her to do.

Judge: **"That decision will determine how you are dealt with..."**

"Yes, you can relax Armin, I made the promise."- Mikasa responded to him

Judge: **"The military police brigade... or the survey corps..."**

Knowing how much this is supposed to anger her, and noting her composed and relaxed stance, made him suspicious enough to ask "Are you going to follow through? Or you already have a walk around?"

Judge: **"...we reached a decision..."**

"I will follow through, although, the promise was to not intervene in any issue between the two of them, I never promised that I would not do anything if Eren was not around."- Mikasa replied, confirming Armin's theory.

"Mikasa..." - Armin said with a sigh

"Accidents happen to people, I don't have any control over that"- Mikasa said with a sinister smile

Judge: **"That Eren Yeager will be put under the survey cops with the direct supervision of Captain Levi."**

Defeated, Armin replied "Sometimes I hate to know you so well", bracing himself for the storm of emotional turmoil that seems to be their future.


	2. Off on the wrong Boot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Mikasa have a rough start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Yes, Petra is in this story, no reason to panic there is no love interest between Levi and her. :)

**Author P.O.V.**

Arriving at Erwin's office and sitting on the chair across his desk, Levi asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

Erwin stared at him, and Levi already knew where this was going, "Mikasa Ackerman is one of the new recruits of the Survey Corps..."

"Tsc- the moody brat from the courtroom, right?"

"Yes. Eren's adoptive sister..."

Surprised by the unknown fact to him, he thought, _Adoptive sister?_

"She was top of her class; her skills and strength can be compared to 100 soldiers combined."

 _This sounds like bullshit_ , he thought, "So where are you going with this?"

Erwin sighed knowing that Levi was clearly annoyed at the topic.

"I heard about the interaction you two had the day of Eren's trial, it's evident the animosity between the two of you."

Clearly impatient, Levi said, "Again, where are you going with this?"

"Levi, she might not be in your squad yet-"

Shouting, with an incredulous look on his face, Levi cut him short, "Yet?!"

"Yes. Yet. She has the skill to be on the elite team, she would be a valuable addition in a near future."

"You can't be serious, that brat hates me, she would never follow my orders!"

"That is why I said 'Yet' I want you to work on fixing any animosity that exists between the two of you, whether you like it or not, she is a valuable asset against Titans, her skill and level, with training, can easily be compared to yours."

 _You gotta be fucking kidding me,_ Levi thought.

"About following orders", Erwin continued," she knew what she was getting into when she signed for the Survey Corps, orders are the base of everything, you will substitute her superior every once and a while to see how it goes."

"Interacting with that brat is going to be a pain in the ass."

"Don't underestimate the satisfaction of knowing that someone hates your guts but can't act on it because you are their superior. In the end, whether she likes it or not, she'll have to follow your orders. There lies the true test of objectivism, you don't need soldiers who act at every whim or emotion they feel at the moment. If she doesn't know how to be objective then, is YOUR job to show it to her."

Annoyed at the conversation and wanting to end it Levi asked, "Is that all?"

"One last thing... I need to make this perfectly clear..." he stared at Levi and with a serious tone he continued, "NO, you cannot kill her"- Erwin said.

Levi grunted in protest of his last words and left the office.

**\-----------------**

The morning sun rays crept into her face through the window, waking her up. She stretched and sat on the side of the bed staring at the floor with sleepy eyes, _it should be illegal to wake up this early,_ she thought. She groaned and stood up to get ready for the day when someone knocked at her door...

"Mikasa? Are you there?", at the sound of Eren's voice she ran to flew open the door and almost tackling him with a hug.

"Eren!! What are you doing here?!"- she asked, they have not seen each other since the trial.

He laughed and hugged her back tightly, "You might want to put some pants on. You know, since you are out of your room... in a public space."

She yelped, embarrassed she grabbed his hand and hurried him into her room, "I just... I was getting dressed, about to put my pants on when I heard your voice... I guess I just dropped them to run out to see you out of excitement" she sighed... "So, what are you doing here?" she asked him while she resumed dressing.

"Well, after the trial, Captain Lev-"

She cut him off, "You mean Captain asshole."

"Mikasa", he said giving her a warning look.

"Don't worry, is not like I will call him like that on his face" ... _at least not with you around_

Eren sighed, "Well, as I was saying, after the trial Captain Le-... asshole, put me on a rigid observation period to make sure that I could control the transformation. He told me yesterday that I was ready to start the daily routines like any regular cadet, so here I am."

"How did he know that you were ready?"

"Well, let's just say that he wasn't able to make me transform just out of rage."

"Are you saying that he was trying to make you angry all this time?"

"Sort off...", trying to change the topic Eren Asked, "Where is Armin's room? Let's go get him to go and have some breakfast."

Giving him a suspicious look, Mikasa replied, "okay, but you will have to explain to me later the 'making-you-angry' thing" ... _he was probably beating the shit out of him during all this time._

"Just drop it, it's over, and I am here now, that's all that matters."

Still suspicious about it but not wanting to make him anxious, she dropped the subject, "Okay, I am ready, let's go get Armin."

Knocking on Armin's door Eren said, "Armin? Are you there? Make sure you have your pants on before opening the door!", he then stared at Mikasa and started laughing.

"You just had to..."- Mikasa said to him embarrassed.

Armin's door flew open, and he jumped at Eren to hug him "Eren! You are here!"

"Oi! What is wrong with you two and the lack of clothes!"- Eren said noticing that Armin was shirtless.

"Ah!", Armin screamed and ran back to his room, "Hurry! Get in!"

Inside of Armin's room, while putting his shirt on, he asked Eren, "So, what you've been doing all this time?"

"Getting beaten senselessly by the psychopathic Captain"- Mikasa replied.

"Mikasa!", Eren said giving her a warning look again.

Sensing the tension between the two Armin said, "Uhmm, you know what, I am really hungry, let's go to the mess hall to get some food" while he walked to the door.

When they arrived at the mess hall, everyone stared at them. This is the first time everyone saw Eren, out in the open, after he was discovered as a Titan shifter.

"Eren! Guys! Sit here with us!", Christa said pointing to her table where Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Ymir were seated.

They joined them at the table after grabbing food.

"Eren! Is it true that the military police wanted to make Titan flavored sushi out of you?", Sasha asked while biting her bread.

"Sasha!", everyone at the table screamed at her.

"What?! It was just an innocent question.", she said while shrugging.

"Oi Eren, so are you going to be able to spend more time with us now?", Connie asked.

"Yeah, outside of training and experiments time, I will be able to hang out with you guys!", Eren replied.

"Is there some special treatment for the elite team, you know, like more food and goodies?", Sasha asked.

"Yes Sasha, I will bring you some of the pastries.", Eren replied rolling his eyes.

"Yes!", Sasha replied throwing her hands to the air in a victorious pose.

"Oi! Jean! I heard you found some family members at the stables.", Eren said teasingly and laughing.

"Yeah! I also saw your mom there.", Jean replied.

"What did you just say horse face!", Eren shouted.

As they were about to start fighting, Connie interrupted them and said, "It only took 5 minutes, FIVE FUCKING MINUTES of Eren back with us for you two to start fighting!", pointing at Eren and Jean.

"I told you, pay up!"- Sasha said to Connie.

Annoyed at her Connie gave her his bread.

"Wait! You were betting on it?", Eren asked looking at them with an incredulous look on his face.

"Hey! Don't look at me! I wasn't the only one!", Connie said.

"That's right! Everyone else, pay up!", Sasha said with a huge grin on her face.

Armin, Christa, Ymir, and Mikasa started to pass their bread to Sasha with their heads bowed in shame.

When Eren saw Mikasa also giving away her bread he said, "No way! You too!?"

"Sorry Eren, I placed my bet thinking that you would last at least 20 minutes without fighting with Jean", she replied while pulling her scarf up her face to hide her shame.

"You guys are unbelievable", Eren said laughing, as Jean winked at Sasha making her laugh too.

"Have you seen Mikasa's skill on the new ODM gear training grounds?", Christa asked Eren.

"I haven't", he replied.

"We can go there after today's formation, I left the ODM straps in my room so I will have to go there now to get them", Mikasa said to Eren.

"Sounds good! I'll go with you.", Eren said while standing from the table.

Mikasa stood up and they started to walk to her room.

Reaching her door room, she opened it to let Eren through, and when he was about to get in...

"Oi! Oi! No men inside the lady's room!" Levi shouted walking down the hall towards them, "We still don't know if having sex will make you transform, I would hate if one of my cadets die, in such a horrible way, out of sheer horniness."

Scared and ashamed of the Captains' comment, Eren shouted in disbelief, "Captain! I wasn't -"

Levi cut him short, "I will tell Hanji to add that to the list of experiments she has for you, now, get out!"

"What! Uh, I mean... Yes sir!", Eren replied nervously.

 _I wonder if I could volunteer for that experiment_ , Mikasa thought.

Levi continued, "One last thing before you go, you will do the next two weeks of stable duty for trying to kill Ackerman."

Desperately trying to clear the situation Eren replied, "Captain! That is not what-"

Levi cut him short again to address Mikasa, "And Ackerman you will do two weeks of dish wash duty for letting him try to kill you."

"I am not that easy to kill", Mikasa answered in defiance.

Crossing his arms and raising a brow while staring at her, Levi replied, "We'll see about that", then, he turned on his heels, and while leaving he said, "I want to see the stables and the dishes cleaned using the cleaning manual process." while walking away he thought, _adoptive sister my ass._

**\---------**

Arriving at his office Levi stopped when...

"Captain!", Oluo approached him.

Opening the door to his office Levi addressed the cadet, "Oluo! What can I help you with?" He said while holding the door of his office open for the cadet to go in.

Oluo entered his office and sat at the chair in front of the desk while Levi followed closing the door behind him and sitting on his chair.

"Well... you know... me and Petra have been dating for a while and... I thought... that maybe...", nervous he reached to his pocket and pulled out a little box and placed it on the desk, "... I think its time for me to propose to her... my mother gave me this ring that has been a family heirloom for years..."

Levi looked at the little ring case saying, "Oh! I've known the two of you for quite a while, I am confident enough to say that she will say yes."

"I hope so, I wanted to ask for advice on how to go through with it."

"You mean, how to propose?"

"Yes, I thought... maybe... you could help me think on a good idea of how to go through with it"

Amused Levi asked, "From all the people, that are much more qualified for this sort of thing, why on earth would you choose to ask me?"

"Well... you see, you are good with planning our missions... and I thought... maybe we can approach this the same way, also... if she says yes... I would like you to be my best man."

Levi opened his eyes surprised at his request, "Oluo, it would be an honor", he then crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the little box loss in thought, and said, "Ok, I think we can look at it with at least three different plans of action. In case one scenario fails due to an unforeseen issue we would have another plan to fall back to, also, we could use the help of other cadets and plan their positions on the field at the moment of action.", he grabbed a pen and a paper and started taking notes of his thoughts, "We will want to talk with Erwin also, he can review the plans and see if I overlooked anything.", he stared again at the little box, "The first thing you would like to do, if you agree, I could hide the box here under a locked drawer to avoid Petra finding it, if she even gets the slightest suspicion of what is going to happen she will probably start looking for it, you know how curious she is."

**\---FlashBack---**

Levi is about to open the door of his office, but he stopped in front of it when he listened to the sounds of steps coming from behind the door. _That's odd, I wonder who has the guts to broke into my office expecting not getting caught._ With that thought in mind, Levi flew open the door with anger.

Startled at the sudden sound, Petra jumped while she yelped. Shaking with nerves and hiding something behind her back she tried to explain herself, "Captain! I... um... I was... CLEANING! That's it! I was cleaning your office, Sir!"

Levi raised a brow while staring at her with a suspicious look, "Cleaning huh?! And that explains the folder that you are trying to hide behind your back?", he said while he stared at the nervous wreck that was the girl standing in front of him.

"I... I...-"

Cutting her short he said, "Give me that!", extending his arm asking for the folder.

Ashamed, with her head bowed, Petra put the folder in the hands of the Captain.

Amused, Levi said, "Oluos' file?"

"Captain! I... I...", she started trying to explain herself while blushing and avoiding his eyes, "Oluo asked me out, and I like him a lot... but... I don't know much about him so... I just wanted to know what he likes... because...", ashamed and blushing even more, with a lower voice she finished, "I really want him to like me too..."

Levi sighed and raised a hand to his forehead as a sign of frustration, "Petra... I think that if he asked you out is BECAUSE he already likes you...", he sighed again and looked at her, "Just be yourself, you don't want to put a fake act to make someone to like you, it is not healthy to start a relationship with such lies." 

Petra, ashamed, replied, "I... I'm sorry Captain, I guess... curiosity took the best of me... you are right..."

"I know, now get your ass out of my office before I decide to report you for breaking and entering!"

Petra jumped and yelped again at the realization of his words and said, "Yes sir!", and rushed to get out.

**\---End of FlashBack---**

Oluo laughed and responded, "Too curious... thanks, Captain... I knew you would be the best person to ask."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.", Levi said in a fast-dismissive tone then, he continued, "give me that thing, we have a lot to plan." while writing all the possible scenarios that came to his mind.

**\----------**

As the evening arrived the cadets rushed to the center ground of the field to stand in formation and wait for future orders or announcements from their superiors.

Erwin Smith stood in front of the formation to face the cadets. With a strong and loud voice he started addressing them, "The date for our next expedition has been set for next week, it will be a reconnaissance mission to assess the northern territory.", he paused for a moment, "this is the first expedition that will include Eren's titan shifting ability as part of the risk mitigation plan... with that in mind... we will set the team's field distribution positions with the greatest secure area as the center, where we will place Eren.", he paused again and continued, "In the upcoming days, we will have a team meeting to explain the details of every cadet position on the field." He paused and sighed, "I will leave you with Captain Levi now.", he then nodded to Levi in acknowledgment and left.

**Levi P.O.V.**

I started walking through the formation lines staring at the cadets one by one. I guess I tend to do this sort of thing to make them realize the seriousness of an expedition, and also because is fun to scare the shit out of them.

I started talking while walking through the formation and said: "The difference in judgment between you and me originates from different rules derived from experience."

I stopped in front of Mikasa Ackerman, the girl supposed to be worth 100 soldiers. I stared at her looking straight into her eyes for a moment, not even once she showed any hint of fear or intimidation, instead her eyes looked at mine with rage and defiance, challenging me back. _This brat is going to be a pain in the ass._ Without moving, still staring at her but addressing everyone, I said: "You will all respect and follow the orders of your superiors, this is non-negotiable, failing to follow orders can have deadly consequences out on the field". I saw her stiff her stance without breaking eye contact with me, I knew she was angrier, that was the point. I smirked at her and turn to the side to continue my speech...

...as I gave the first step away from her, I heard her mumbling something that I couldn't quite understand fully but I heard something along the lines of "shorty" and "ass".

I turned back to stare at her and said, "I thought I heard dirt moving around in the shape of an idiot. So, it was you?", I asked her.

"No Sir! I don't know what you are talking about, Sir!", she replied.

 _Does she really think she can get away with this?_ "Yeager!", I shouted, calling him, and as expected, her eyes started to show a hint of fear, "follow me to the front of formation!", I finished, while walking to the front of the formation lines with him following me.

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

He called Eren to the front of the formation. _What the fuck is this psychopathic maniac trying to prove?_

When they arrived at the front, Levi grabbed Eren and with a fast movement, he threw him to the floor and put his boot over the side of his head pressuring it against the ground.

_Is he really? WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM!_

He then started shouting while staring at me...

"Do not!"

He added more pressure against Erens head...

"Challenge!"

PRESSURE

"Me!"

PRESSURE

I was about to barge in when I remembered my promise to Eren _"Anyone but Levi. PROMISE!"_

Then, I saw the pain on Erens' face, his temple pressed against the rough ground. Blood started to drop out of it increasing the flow with each added pressure of the Captains' boot. I was shaking with anger, frustrated at the feeling of helplessness.

Without breaking eye contact with me he continued, "Here at the Survey Corps, you can be a woman or a man, it makes no difference, everyone will be disciplined with the same intensity, DO NOT EXPECT ANY SORT OF SPECIAL TREATMENT, for now on you are neither men nor women, you are just some brats that I will beat the shit out of if discipline is needed."

With that statement, he proceeded to remove his boot from Erens's head, as he finished with "You are all dismissed", and left.

After he left, Armin and I ran to Eren, "Eren! Eren! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine..."

I placed my hands at the sides of his head to assess the injury, "You should go to the Infirmary, it doesn't look good."

"I can feel it already healing... perks of being a Titan shifter.", Eren responded.

"Eren you still should-", I said in protest when he cut me off slapping my hands away from his face.

"I DON'T need protection, I am FINE! Stop treating me like an overprotective mother! I AM NOT A CHILD!", he shouted at me, making the tears that I was trying to hold back, fall out of my eyes.

"Eren, she is only trying to help!", Armin intervened.

"SHE IS PROBABLY THE REASON WHY HE DID THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE! What did you do Mikasa, huh?! You had to be so stupid to confront him in some way!?", he yelled at me, "You know what! Don't even answer, I am done with your crap!", he stood up and left to his dorm...

That's when I realized, that I fucked up...


	3. Unraveling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We dig a little deeper into the relationship of Eren and Mikasa, what seems to be as a good friendship, in reality, is a very unhealthy one with strong emotionally destructive codependence. Also, the Female Titan expedition happens but the events are a little different from the series. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: some of the following events can trigger undesired emotions for victims of abuse or unhealthy relationships.

**Author P.O.V.**

On the afternoon of the day before the expedition, Ymir arrived at the mess hall to have lunch with an old friend that she invited as a guest to the Survey Corps base. As they walked in, she met with the whole gang eating on the same table as usual...

Reaching the table, "Hey, guys! Look who's here!"- Ymir said

"Annie!"- everyone shouted

"She told me she wanted to come to visit so I brought her in"- Ymir explained

Teasing Mikasa, Annie said, "Oi! Mikasa are you ready to get your ass kicked?!"

Annoyed, she responded, "Says the one that ran to the Military Police branch because she was too scared of Titans"

"Ooooh!", everyone exclaimed as they started to place their bets

Clearly annoyed by it, Mikasa shouted at them, "Stop the bets I will not fight prior to an expedition", making everyone groan in protest. Then, she stared at Eren giving him a warning look triggering a past memory to pop up in his mind...

**\-----Flashback-----**

Back when they were just trainees:

Mikasa grabbed Eren from the back of his shirt and threw him to the middle of the training grounds.

"What is your problem!?"- Eren shouted angrily

"I don't like her!"

Giving her an incredulous look he said, "Annie? Is this because she seems to like me?"

"Not only because of that, but I also don't trust her, and on top of it she beat your ass in hand to hand combat."

"Well, she is strong, she's been the only one that has been able to even beat you."

"Her fighting style is different, I had never seen anything like it but, after watching her fight many times in training, I can read her moves like second nature."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Since I've figured out mostly all of her moves, she hasn't been able to even stand close to me in combat skills."

"Are you saying that you will beat the shit out of her if I take her out on a date?"

"Probably, but most importantly, since I don't trust her, I will train you so you can beat the shit out of her if she tries to harm you."

"Look- "- Eren started protesting when Mikasa cut him short

"This is non-negotiable; besides, it will help your skillset, which puts you in a better position to be accepted in the Survey Corps."

Defeated, Eren sighed, "Alright, when do we start?"

**\---End Of Flashback---**

Annie looked at Levi approaching a cadet that was on dish wash duty, and said, "So, that is the famous Levi? He doesn't look that bad, he seems nice and-" she was cut short by a loud sound of metal plates falling to the ground.

"How many times do I have to explain myself?" Levi screamed to the scared trembling cadet, annoyed that the cadet didn't follow the 'How to clean the metal plates' Section, of the 'Clean or die' manual that he wrote as cleaning guidelines for the Survey Corps.

After a pause, clearly annoyed, he continued, "Are your parents blood-related?", he then turned on his heels, pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration, "I-am-gonna-lose-my-shit-with-this-motherf-"- and mumbling the rest, Levi left the mess hall.

"So, Annie you were saying"- Mikasa teased back at her

"Never mind, kind of make me glad that I didn't choose the Survey Corps"- she replied smirking

"Seriously, when was the last time that man got laid?" -Jean asked

Teasing Jean Eren said, "Probably more recent than you, Horse face!"

"Says the guy who can't get laid because his Captain told him to."- He bit back

"Jean!", Sasha shouted, and lowering her voice, she continued, "they didn't know that I told you."

"Seriously Sasha! That wasn't supposed to be public knowledge!"- Mikasa replied

With a surprised look on his face Eren addressed Mikasa, "So, I get you told Sasha?"

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what is going on?"- Connie exclaimed

Raising her hand, Annie said "You are not the only one, care to fill us in?" while staring at Mikasa and Sasha.

Sasha snorted laughing, while Mikasa rolled her eyes and said, "Oh walls here we go..."

"As a summary, Captain Levi told Eren that he couldn't have sex because he could explode and transform during the act"- Sasha said between laughs

"And, that he was going to tell Hanji to add that test to her experiments"- Jean continued, laughing so much that he was crying

Annie stared at Eren and said, "You can't be serious!"

Eren sighed, stared at Annie, and nodded

"So, technically, the crazy scientist have you grabbed by the balls?"- Connie asked while raising a brow, to Eren

Eren bowed his head, placed a hand to his forehead trying to hide his face, and snorted laughing and everyone followed.

"So, you guys have an expedition, soon right?"- Annie asked

Her question changed the atmosphere of the table in an instant, suddenly the laughs were replaced with the heaviness of uncertainty. Nobody answered her, and she knew better than to keep pushing the subject.

So far, in the history of the Survey Corps, there has not been a single expedition outside the walls that didn't involve casualties. The fact that this might be the last lunch that they would have together, was a shared feeling that no one dared to speak out loud. Overwhelmed by the heaviness of what might come, Mikasa excused herself from the table to go to the training room in hopes to discharge the heaviness on her chest into the sandbag at the gym. After she left Jean also excused himself for the same reasons.

\-------------------------  
Arriving at the training room Mikasa started stretching while she overhears a conversation between Captain Levi and Jean.

**Levi P.O.V.**

I was finishing working out and about to leave the training room when a cadet approached.

"Captain..."- Jean said walking towards me

I was clearly annoyed by being wrap up in some meaningless conversation but, when I was about to tell him to fuck off, I saw the consternation and anxiety on his stance. I sighed and defeated, I followed the conversation, "What is it, Kirstein? Spit it out!"

"I uh... I was wondering... how do you do it?", he asked

Confused, I asked for clarification, "Do what exactly?"

"This... All of it! Going through every expedition after losing so many comrades... How do you know that your orders will lead to the least casualties scenario? How do you balance one life over the other..." Jean asked while holding back his tears.

I sighed _if he only knew that I ask myself the same questions every day,_ "When I am in the field, I made my decisions based on experience, but to be honest, in the end, whether you follow my orders or not, is up to you to make the choice. I don't know which option you should choose. I could never advise you on that... No matter what kind of wisdom dictates you the option you pick, no one will be able to tell if it's right or wrong until you arrive at some sort of outcome from your choice.", I paused and sighed before continuing, "In the end, The only thing we're allowed to do... is to believe that we won't regret the choice we made."

I honestly don't know if I ended up helping him or confusing him more, but as the memories of my past comrade's deaths flooded my mind, I stood up and left the room.

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

After listening to Captain Levi's answer to Jean, I realized, that even a person as emotionless as him, feels the same way as all of us, I guess, eventually, you learn to live with it...

As I thought about his answer over and over again in my head... _Choice. Regret._ A forbidden memory crossed my mind unannounced... a memory of the night before the expedition where Eren turned into a Titan for the first time...

**...flashback...**

I was ready to start changing my clothes to go to bed when I heard a knock on my door.

"Mika...", I heard Erens' voice

"Eren you can come in"- I told him while I walked to the bathroom to change.

When I got out, I saw him leaning against the wall with his head bowed. As I got close to him, he stared at me, I noticed that his usually big green eyes looked very small and reddened at the edges, I realized that he was probably crying. Since the breach of the wall, he's been having trouble sleeping...

"Another nightmare?"- I asked

"Mika... I'm tired... I'm tired of this hollow feeling in my chest...I can't stop watching mom die...", he continued, "I just want... at least for a moment... to stop feeling this..."

Listening to his voice breaking made my heartache. I reached out to him and hugged him. He kept talking whispering to my ear, "...I need... at least for a moment... to get out of this torment..." while tightening his grip around my waist. Then, he started to kiss slowly my neck, shooting a warmth that ran through my spine, "Mikasa... for once...", he said, as he kissed me on my lips and rested his forehead against mine. Then, he started pulling my hips against his, "I don't want to think...", he kissed me again, "for once... I don't want to feel this sadness...", he slowly pushed me backward with his body until I was pinned against the wall. He continued, "for once... I just want to live in the moment...", as he kissed me passionately grinding against my hips making me feel his full hardened erection. We had never kissed before, not even any suggestion that might've seen outside of just an ordinary friendship.

"Eren...", I tried to talk but he cut me off, "shhh... this moment... you and me...", while biting my neck, then, grinding against my hips harder as he let out a groan, he continued between whispers, "...we owe it to each other..."

It doesn't even bother me that the situation wasn't as idealistic as a first time "should" be, I had devoted all of my life to him. _I guess it was expected._

He threw me to bed, got on top of me, and while almost ripping my clothes out he said, "...let me feel you...". He thrust his full length inside of me with the same desperate emotion as his desire to just forget...

Once he was asleep, I sat at the corner of the bed and placed my feet on the floor. I started feeling a sadness growing inside of me, making me grieve the empty hollow that was pulsing inside my chest. _Emptiness. Loneliness._ I stood up and left the room. I walked outside, barefoot, into the cold of the night and sat by a tree. The sadness kept growing, making me cry and sob, after a while, unsure if that feeling would ever go away, I returned to my room and he was gone. I walked to my bed with a surreal sensation, wondering if everything that happened was real, the soreness of my body told me it was, but the hollow on my chest disagreed. I fell asleep and like an unspoken dream, we never talked of it again, giving the fake illusion of a forbidden memory that never happened.

**\---End Of Flashback---**

**Author P.O.V.**

She didn't know how she got there, a moment ago she was in the training room and now... she was standing in front of him, in her room.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"- Eren asked

Mikasa gave him a confused look...

Confused at her reaction Eren continued, "You were the one who found me, grabbed my wrist, and walked me to your room saying you had something important to tell me..."

"Uh... right... you see, tomorrow we are going out of the walls again... I just..."

Eren placed his hands around her cheeks and said, "Hey... look at me, we will be fine, you don't need to worry..." tying to appease her.

"That's the problem! We really don't know! We can't be certain that we will survive, in fact, this might be the last chance we get to talk! There are many unspoken things between us... if something happens... I would never forgive myself for not telling you..."

"Well, I am here now, talk to me..." - he replied

"That night... Why did you do it?"

He sighed and replied, "I don't know Mika, I guess, my emotions took the best of me..."

"So, you don't feel anything for me?"

He sighed, "You are... very important to me... I would do anything to protect you... but if you mean, if I feel something more than friendship... I don't feel that way towards you. I know it might sound sick due to what happened that night, but I can only see you like family"

Mikasa nodded at him and replied, "Since I don't want to live with any regret, I think you should know, I see you as more than that, I think... I love you; I know you don't feel the same way, but I just wanted to let you know..."

He stared at her for a moment then he turned to the door of her room and left.

\--------------------------------------  
ODM gear information:

The cadets gathered in their positions ready to leave the walls for battle. The doors of the walls opened and they started their course. Mikasa was at the right-wing, while Levi and Eren were in the middle with the elite squad, Armin, Christa, and Jean at the front, Connie, Ymir, and Sasha at the left.

Some titans were spotted along the way, but they were easily handled until a group of abnormal titans started to run towards the right-wing.

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

Around 15 abnormal Titans approached my group as I fired the black smoke signals to announce the location for the rest of the Corps. My group was composed of around 20 cadets, most of them seemed scared of what was happening. Since the Titans were so close, avoidance was not an option, so we charged to attack. I fired my ODM gear to the shoulder of one of the beasts using the momentum of the rotational pull to fly around its neck and land on the back, resulting in a clean cut on the nape. While the Titan was falling, I noticed that a smaller one was nearby. I ran to the opposite shoulder of the Titan's body, to gain momentum, then I ran all the way to the other shoulder and jumped, leaving the falling body of the Titan I just killed, straight to the neck of the smaller one below it and cut the nape. As soon as I cut it, I called my horse and jumped, letting gravity pull me down, I landed on it and rode to attack the next one.

I saw one Titan grabbing one of the cadets, I rode to the extended arm, waiting to get closer, I stood up on my horse and jumped cutting the hand. The scared cadet dropped to the floor with the Titan's hand. As I watched many other cadets being grabbed, I screamed at him, "Finish it!" letting him in charge of killing it, so I could go and try to save more lives. When we finished, only 5 of us were left alive. I was drenched in steaming Titan blood watching the rest of the team scared. I decided to guide them to keep moving, "Let's go! There is time to mourn when we get back! Now, let's concentrate on actually getting back! Move!" I saw more smoke signals coming from the left-wing but none from the front, I guided them to move forward as I saw the other groups moving towards the same group of trees ahead.

**Eren P.O.V**

_Black signal? That means abnormal Titans! There were plenty of black signals, Mikasa... she can't die! I have to find a way to get there._

"Captain! Did you see the smoke signals at the right!"-I asked

"Yes! Keep moving!"

"They were many black signals! I couldn't count!"

"It seems they encountered a large group of abnormals."

"Should we go help!?"

"No! Trust your team! They will manage! Keep moving! We will meet at the group of trees that are a little more north!"

**Levi P.O.V.**

_Black signals? Around ten!? We need to meet with them fast_ , I thought thinking that it's highly likely that the entire wing was wiped out.

When we arrived at the trees, none of the right-wing cadets had arrived, but the front and left-wing were already there.

"Captain! Mikasa is on the right-wing! Where are they?" - Eren asked me with a panicked voice

"They should be here soon, if not, we have to keep going!"

"But if they are late?"

"Cadet, there are only two options, they are here on time or they are already dead."

With a concerned expression, "I can turn! I can turn to Titan and save them!"

"Not now Yeager, stand back"

At no sign of the right-wing I started to worry, _you better not be dead, brat, after all the crap you've put me through if you fucking die like this, I'm going to be pissed._ At the end of the thought, I saw a sign of the most annoying brat I've dealt with, Mikasa Ackerman riding towards us, I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding. _What the fuck is she doing at the front of the team?_

"Ackerman! Where are the leaders of your group?!"- I asked

"Dead"- she coldly replied

"Captain! Ackerman took control over the right-wing and saved us, she saved most of us straight from the hands of Titans."- one of the bloodied right-wing cadets said to me

"Captain! Orders!"- Mikasa shouted to me

 _Did she really do that?! "_ Ackerman! Keep in charge of the right-wing for the rest of the mission, stay closer to the center to atone for your loses"

She nodded in acknowledgment, and we kept moving. _How many Titans de she kill? Next time I will put her in my group I need to see her in action._

**Author P.O.V.**

Moving from the small group of trees they were headed to an area that is known for the vast number of big trees, which is excellent for ODM gear techniques.

Suddenly a huge abnormal Titan oddly shaped as a human woman started sprinting towards them.

**Levi P.O.V.**

"Charge to the front at full speed! We are almost at the trees!", I ordered.

We all charged as fast as we could but the Female Titan was getting closer. _Looks like a close call but it's possible to make it._ "Keep pushing forward! Yeager! Move-in in front of me!" _If she is going to grab someone it_ _better be me._

"Captain!" - Armin approached me.

"What are you doing out of formation!"

"I have critical information about that Titan for you, Sir!"

_What could a new member, with almost no experience, would know of such a rare Titan._

"What is it!"- I asked.

"My team leaders believe my theory; I think that Titan is like Eren!"

"What! You mean, a human? A Titan shifter!?"

"Yes sir! Is an intelligent one, it acts differently from any Titan and it looks like it's focusing on getting someone in particular!"

"Who?!"

"I don't know yet! But if she only wanted to eat humans, like any regular Titan, she would've already reached for the least fortified wing, which is also the one closest to her, but instead, she is charging to the middle!"

When I looked back at the right-wing, I confirmed that he was right. _Shit! This changes everything! "_ Thanks! Go back to formation"

"Yes, Sir!"

_We need a distraction._

"Captain! We need a distraction!"- Mikasa approached

_Is she reading my mind?_

"Captain! Now is the time! I don't think we have any other option!"- Eren said

 _Shit,_ I thought, as Mikasa moved back to the right-wing.

"Do it! Transform, guide her to the trees, we will back you up against it! And cover your fucking Nape Yeager! Don't you die on me now!"

He nodded as he proceeded to move away from the group. _This better work._

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

I saw Eren moving away from the group. _Shit! He is going to transform._ "Move to the trees we have to back Eren up! He will probably guide her there! Move!"

Suddenly the explosion of Eren transformation happened and he was running in his Titan form next to me. He looked at me, and I already knew, I jumped from my horse as he caught me mid-air and placed me on his shoulder, I was looking to his back while he was headed to the trees.

I watched the female Titan movements towards us, I was shouting to Eren's ear her movements so he could modify his to our advantage.

**Levi P.O.V.**

I heard the explosion and watched him as he ran to Mikasa. _What the fuck is he doing? He had one job, go straight to the fucking trees, one fucking job._ I saw how Mikasa jumped as he grabbed her midair and carried her to his shoulders. _How did she know that he was going to catch her? Is not like he can talk at that state!_

"Keep moving forward!"

I saw Mikasa close to the shifter's ear, then, I saw it, she was telling him something that made him change his movements slightly for our advantage. _How did they come up with this plan? Do they know each other so well?_ "Tsc" _, I can probably have a better dynamic with her skills than him_. "We are almost there!?"

**Mikasa P.O.V**

We arrived at the trees and I shot my gear to the nearest one to get out of his shoulder, he looked at me and nodded. _Defense time is over._ The Female Titan barged at him and they started fighting, Captain Levi and the elite team followed behind for support while the other Corps rounded the area.

I started to hook my gear to the path of trees that lead me to the fight. Eren watched me as I signaled for her nape, he grabbed both of her hands to restrain her, leaving the nape open to my direction. I took my blades out and jumped to the nape when I tried to cut it, my blades broke. I was confused about what just happened and then, I saw that the skin around her nape had hardened. Suddenly, her body moved abruptly, making me lose my balance as I heard a warning scream from Erens Titan...

**Levi P.O.V.**

I saw her moving to the fight. _She was supposed to be rounding them, not fighting!_ I saw her change her movements slightly to the side of the fight.

"Keep moving! We have to back him up!"- I shouted

Eren looked at Mikasa and aligned the nape of the female titan to her. _How did they come up with that?!_ Mikasa is standing at the nape, but the nape is not cut. _Just cut the fucking nape!_ I started to ride towards her and redirected the rest of the team, "Go back up Eren from his left! I will grab Ackerman and we will back up from the right!" after I finished the order, I fired my ODM gear at her position when I heard Erens' scream, I noticed then, that the Female Titan managed to free one of her hands, and it was being directed straight to Mikasa. I rushed and did a rough land on her shoulder when I heard a "clank!" sound coming from my ankle. Pain shot through my body as I saw the Titans' hand get close to her. I shot my gear to a tree behind Mikasa and grabbed her with the pull from the strings.

**Author P.O.V.**

Levi grabbed Mikasa as Erens' Titan fell to the ground, the female titan started to attack him mercilessly, while Levi's elite team was backing him up.

"Levi! Let me go! We have to back him up!"- Mikasa screamed

"Wait! Why didn't you cut the nape?!'" - Levi asked

"I tried! It somehow hardened the skin on that area and it broke my swords!"

"Fuck! That changes everything! We have to retreat!"

"Go! tell your team! I will fire a retreat flare for the rounding wings and I'll go to Eren!"

"Tell Eren to hold her back a little longer so the rounding wings have a better chance to retreat safely!"

Mikasa nodded and they both moved to their targets.

**Levi P.O.V.**

I called my horse and barged to my team's location. When I arrived some of them were already dead. "Oluo! Retreat! Is an order! Where is Petra!?"

"She is farther north, Sir!"

"I will get her! Get the rest and retreat!" - I ordered him.

Oluo was retreating when the female Titan fell to the floor, she saw Oluo riding to get past her when she threw a kick...

"Oluo!"- I screamed at him, but it was too late.

He was crushed against a rock...

I stared at the Female Titan while she was staring at his body and smiled. _That bitch did it on purpose!_ I moved to Petras' location and I noticed that the female Titan was staring at me and smiling. "You like what you see bitch? Next time you see me it will be the end of you!"

Then in front of me, I saw Petra riding towards me. Eren grabbed the Female Titan by the hair and started dragging her away. _Good._ "Petra! We have to retreat!"

"Where is Oluo Sir!" - She asked

_If we ride to get out of here, she will definitely see his body._

"Was he able to retreat!?" - She insisted.

"He... He wanted you to get out of here safe! Move!"

"Wanted?!"

"Let's go I'll explain later keep your eyes to the front do NOT deviate! Is an order!"

_If she doesn't look to her side_ _,_ _we would be able to leave without her seeing his body._

"Move in front of me! I will be following you!"- I insisted

We started leaving when the Female Titan let out a deafening scream that startled my horse throwing me to the ground and hitting my head. With a blurry vision, I saw the female Titan crawling at a very fast speed, to us, my vision went black for a moment and when it came back, I saw how her hand was already on top of Petra slowly nearing to crush her.

"Stop!", I screamed as she squashed her to the ground...

She then stared at me and smiled again pulling her face close to me. It looked like she was either planning to eat me or she was just mocking me. Suddenly Mikasa appeared in front of me and stabbed both of her eyes while screaming, "Get away from my Captain you bitch!" then looking to her side she screamed "Eren! Now!" as she jumped on top of me.

"What are you doing Ackerman!?" - I asked

"Don't move!"- she replied

**Mikasa P.O.V**

I jumped to Eren's shoulder and gave my back to his neck, I turned around the base of the ODM gear so it would fire backward, then I fired it causing one string to pass in front of his neck and the other through the back, Eren grabbed the strings at the other side, crossed them, and threw them back at me. Then I did a knot with them, and with that, I was secured around his neck, close enough to his nape to cover as a last-minute emergency resource and close enough to the front to see the action. The Female Titan threw a combination of punches and kicks that seemed very similar to a fighting style I've seen before.

"Eren, she will kick with her right!" I shouted to his ear, he grabbed the leg and broke it making her let out a deafening scream.

She was trying to avoid falling and tried to grab his neck with her hand but I cut her fingers breaking my blades. _Did she harden her fingers to go for the kill?_ While she fell to the floor, I noticed that she had hardened most of her face and torso. Once she fell, she started crawling at a very fast speed to were Levi was, I quickly undid the knot and pulled the strings of my ODM gear back to their base "Eren! Grab her head and bang it to the ground multiple times! That should give you time to get the rest of her limbs without her struggling so much!". He nodded as I saw her getting her face close to the Captain, _no you won't! If someone is going to kill that bastard is going to be me!_

I jumped in front of her face and stabbed her in the eyes while I screamed: _"_ Get away from my Captain you bitch! _"._ Knowing that he was going to bang her head so close to us I jumped on top of the Captain to protect him. _This will definitely hurt his ego._

**Levi P.O.V.**

At that moment a lot of debris fell on top of us, and then, I understood, _She was shielding me with her body._

"Ackerman! What the fuck! I am the one who is supposed to shield you!"- I protested.

"Don't move! I'll let you do it next time!"

After the debris finished falling, she moved from shielding me, and I saw Eren tearing the limbs of the Female Titan.

"That is the most damage he can do now, the bitch hardened the rest of her body, and is impossible to break, I lost all of my blades, we have to go now, Sir!"

I saw Erens Titan Fall to the floor, then a few seconds later his human body popped out of it. He called his horse and started riding towards us. Mikasa already had her horse with her. _When did she call it?_

"Sir! You have a concussion, it seems that you are drifting on and off consciousness, jump to my horse. We have to go now!"

Eren arrived and helped me to get on Mikasa's' horse behind her. I saw her back and noticed all of the blood and bruises she had, _That must've been for covering me, stubborn brat..._

"Let's go!"- Eren shouted

When we were riding back, I saw the Female Titan, just head, and torso, with her eyes already regenerated, looking at me and smiling.

"I wish you could stab her eyes again, Ackerman"- I murmured

\-----Back within the safety of the walls-----

**Author P.O.V**

"I am fine, leave me alone!"- Levi shouted

"Stop it, Levi! I have to treat that head injury before you get more hard-headed", Hanji said and laughed, "Also, we have to take care of that ankle."

Eren arrived at the Infirmary and approached Levi, "Captain!"

"Spit it out, Yeager!"- Levi said

With a worried face he asked, "Did... did anyone got left behind?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we waiting for the elite team to arrive?"

"Eren...", Levi said with the sudden realization, "You were the only one from my team to make it back alive..."

"But... the guys? Oluo? Petra San?"- with his voice breaking, Eren asked

Levi could not answer him anymore. And Eren nodded and left.

"Hanji, can I leave now?" - Levi asked

"You should be good to go"

He nodded, grabbed his crutches, and headed to his office.

\----------------------------------

"Mikasa go to the Infirmary!"- Eren shouted at her

"I am fine"- Mikasa replied

Protesting Eren said, "No! Look at your back! You are all bloody and scratched!"

"Nothing a good bath can't fix"

Getting angrier at her, "You can go willingly or I will transform and drag you there myself!"

"Why are you so worried all of the sudden?" - Armin asked

"I... I can't lose you too... I can't lose anyone else! I am done losing people!"- Eren said staring at them.

Worried Armin asked, "What happened?"

"I talked with Levi at the Infirmary... he said that I am the only survivor of the elite team..."

"Are you serious!?" - Mikasa said surprised

Eren nodded

"I wish I could've done more..." - Armin said with his head bowed

"Look, I will go to the Infirmary, but you go to Captain Levi" - Mikasa said

"What do you mean?"

"Who is the only other person in the world right now who was at least half as close to his team as he was?" - Armin said

Eren looked at him confused

Frustrated Mikasa explained what Armin meant, "You! Eren! You spent all this time with them, they helped you through all the uncertainty of being a Titan shifter, you were also very close to them... Just go to Hanji's office, steal a bottle of rum or whatever alcohol you find, and go to his office."

"Hanji has alcohol in her office?!"- Eren shouted surprised

"Yes. You didn't hear it from me! Go! I am sure he would appreciate the company."

He nodded and left.

\----------------------------

Levi arrived at his office and dropped to his chair. When he looked at his desk, he saw multiple papers with notes and field drawings that he did with Oluo when they were planning the wedding proposal. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed holding back the tears.

He realized that he didn't close the door to his office when he heard steps coming from the hall and saw Eren arriving at his doorstep.

He stared at him confused and Eren showed him a bottle of Rum.

"Is that?... Is that Hanji's?!"

Erens' stance suddenly stiffened, scared that he got caught.

"You stole alcohol, from Hanji's office?"- Levi asked amused

"I... Uh..."- Eren tried to explain

Giving him a suspicious look Levi said, "I bet it wasn't your idea, to begin with..."

"Well..."

Levi smirked at him, "Well! Get in and close the door before Hanji catches you!"

Surprised at his words he rushed in and closed the door behind him.

"How did you-" - Eren asked before Levi cut him short

"I do it all the time."- he said while he stood up to walk to one of the drawers of his bookshelf.

Surprised at his honesty, and just by the fact that Levi is not beating him up, made him glad that he followed Mikasas' advice.

"I forgot the glasses"- Eren said worriedly

"Already ahead of you Yeager"- Levi replied

He pulled two shot glasses from the drawer and sat back on his chair.

"Let's see which one you snatched", Levi said grabbing the bottle and looking at it, "hm, this is not half as bad, at least you didn't take one of those bottles that look like alcohol but are filled with some sort of nasty titan fluid."

"What!" - Eren shouted

"Erwin was the one who had the sour experience, Hanji was laughing at him for a month."

"Are you serious!"

"When I am not?"

At these last words, Eren got a little scared again, but he was actually surprised that he was actually making conversation back. _I think anything outside of beating the shit out of me can be seen as an improvement,_ he thought.

"I saw you fighting today alongside Mikasa, you guys seem to know each other pretty well."- Levi asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Well, ever since we were kids, she was always getting me out of trouble, I think... maybe... we learned to fight together due to all of the time she ended up defending my ass."

"It makes sense..."

"She has these ridiculous complicated moves that she does sometimes when she fights... they look similar to yours."

"Oh really, I doubt it."

Eren laughed, "Really! Why do you think she made it top of her class, the only person that could come close to her was..." he stopped, at the sudden realization, he started panicking, "Fuck!..."

"Are you one of those drunks that get panic attacks when they drink? You just had one shot, Yeager!"

"No! Captain, this is serious, I just realized something, about the female Titan, I need to talk with Mikasa now!"

"I will go with you. She is probably at Erwin's office since she ended up in charge of the right-wing, she is required to give a report of what happened"

\-----At Erwins Office ------

Arriving at his office they found Hanji and Mikasa already there.

"Mikasa! I think I know who-" -Eren started saying when Mikasa cut him short

"I already told Erwin"- she said

"You knew!?"- Eren said surprised

"Yes. Since I warned you that she was going to kick with her right. I needed to discuss it with Erwin to be sure before telling you" - Mikasa replied

"Did you guys confirm it's really Annie?" - Eren replied

"It seems like it, she disappeared right before we started the expedition, I reached out to the military police, they said she missed formation and they haven't seen her since yesterday."- Erwin replied

"So, we don't know where she is right now?"- Levi asked raising a brow

"No, but knowing her identity gives us an advantage over any future attacks"- Erwin replied

"Should we tell them?" - Levi asked

Erwin Sighed...

"Telling them has its pros and cons."- Hanji said

Looking at her Erwin wanted to hear her theory "Elaborate"

"As a pro, we would have more eyes trained to warn us at any sight of her, but as a con..." She sighed, "since she was part of our military, and a friend to some cadets who trained with her before choosing the Survey Corps as their branch....this could cause the team to distrust each other thinking that anyone could be a possible traitor."

Erwin nodded and crossed his arms over his chest thinking.

"So, what is it going to be?"- Levi questioned

"I guess, we would have to gamble this one...", Erwin replied lost in thought, then he continued, "Mikasa, Eren, and Hanji you can leave now... Levi, I need you to stay for a moment"

They got out of the office. At the hall, Mikasa grabbed Eren by the wrist and said, "Stay..."

"What?!"- he said confused

"What Erwin is about to ask him... just wait for him to get out..."

Eren nodded and said "I will pick something up from his office then"

\------------------------------

"Levi... it has come to my attention the losses we had... I am sorry for the loss of your team..."- Erwin said

Levi nodded

Erwin sighed and continued, "We didn't know that other Titan shifters existed, and with what happened today... it only confirms that the probability of more of them is high... there is even the possibility of traitors within our ranks...", Erwin sighed, "Now more than ever, we need to rely on the few people we trust... and make the elite team out of them... I would like you to choose them..."

"Are you serious?! You can't ask this from me! Is too soon! They just died I can't just replace them like that! Like... they didn't mean anything to me! I can't!"-Levi said with a broken voice

"I understand, I will pick them for you then, I don't want you to bear this burden alone"- Erwin said

"Do whatever the fuck you want!"- Levi said as he stormed out of the office

Walking down the hall he saw Eren leaning against the wall with his head bowed, he raised a hand with the bottle of Rum they had left at his office and raised the other with the papers of Oluo's proposal... "When I heard you were planning the proposal, it made me curious how Humanity Strongest would pull something like that..."

Levi smirked, "There are a lot of details on those papers"

"I've got time"

Levi gave him a suspicious look

Eren sighed, "As long as you don't beat the shit out of me again, I'll be fine."

"Don't push it brat!", Levi replied while snatching the bottle of rum out of his hand and looking at the papers, "I guess that's one way to honor them"

As they started walking back to his office Levi asked, "Who put you up to this?"

"Who do you think?"

"I thought she hated me"

"Oh, trust me, she still does..."

\--------Time skip a week after-------

While having breakfast at the mess hall

"So, have you seen Eren?"- Sasha asked

"I haven't seen him since the morning after the last expedition"- Mikasa replied

**...Flashback...**

As Mikasa was walking through the new ODM gear training area she heard Eren's voice screaming, "Help! Somebody, help us!"

She ran to the voice to find a passed-out Levi hanging from a tree upside down, held by one of his ODM strings that were attached to a branch and entangled to his uninjured ankle, on the other side Eren was hanging from another branch where his OMD strings were attached but the strings were entangled to his body immobilizing him.

"What the... What happened last night!? I told you to talk to him, not to kill him!"- Mikasa shouted at Eren

Suddenly, they heard a groan from Levi followed by, "Yeager! I am going to kill you!"

Confused Mikasa asked, "What happened?!"

"It was his fault!", Eren started, "He wanted to show me how he positioned everyone in his proposal plan! I told him it wasn't a good idea to use the ODM gear drunk"

As Mikasa was working on their strings she said, "Proposal? What are you talking about?!"

When Levi shouted, "Shut up Yeager! You are the one who bumped into me and caused this mess!"

Annoyed Eren replied to Levi, "You were the one that ignored me when I told you that you were drunk! You literally gave me the middle finger and screamed while flying away 'I'm Humanity Strongest! Bitch!' "

At that Mikasa stared at Levi in disbelief, he was still hanging upside down grunting, he then looked at Mikasa and said, "You! It was your fault! You were the one who sent him with the rum!"

(Art by: @Riva2Mika ❤️) 

Mikasa walked to him and placed her face close to his upside-down face and said, "I wouldn't pick a fight with the only person who can get you out of that tree.", she then gave him a little push to his shoulder making him start spinning.

She helped Eren to get out of his strings carefully and then walked to Levis' hanging body to just cut the string that was holding him to the branch, making his body fall to the ground with a 'thud' sound. Then she left without looking back.

**...End flashback...**

"He is probably avoiding me."- Mikasa said smirking

"I still can't believe that Annie is a traitor." - Connie said

"It doesn't surprise me that much."- Mikasa replied

Jean approached the table and sat beside Connie, "Oi! Did Erwin also call one of you guys for a meeting in his office today?"

Sasha, Connie, Mikasa, and Armin nodded.

"I wonder what is that about..."- Armin said with a nervous face

Suddenly, Eren arrived at the mess hall and approached them, "Oi! Guys! Erwin asked me to get all of you, he wants to talk to us now."

"You too Eren?" - Mikasa asked, but he ignored her and walked back the way he came from

"I guess we should start heading there then."- Armin said

\-------at Erwin's office--------

"Don't think that I didn't notice that you didn't follow my orders Captain!"- Erwin said to Levi

"You said, replace her superior every now and then, I replaced it once at formation, that satisfies the order."- Levi said while crossing his arms and raising a brow

"I also said to fix any animosity between the two of you, and the only time you replaced her superior you ended up beating up Yeager in front of her, that hardly counts as fixing things."- Erwin said in disbelief

"It sent a warning message to her, and I am pretty sure she got it."- Levi said in defiance

Defeated Erwin said, "I guess I will have to force you", as he threw a folder at him.

"What is this?"- Levi asked

"The names of your new elite squad, they will be here in a minute."

Protesting Levi said, "What! I can't even have a say in-", when he was cut short

Knock. Knock.

"Come in!"- Erwin said as Levi gave him a warning look

**Levi P.O.V.**

They started to enter Erwin's office, Eren followed by Jean, Sasha, Connie, Armin, and _of course because he had to,_ Mikasa Ackerman. They stood in line with their right fist over their chest.

"At ease cadets"- Erwin said

I stared at him in disbelief and he smirked back at me. _He is having too much fun with this,_ I thought.

He then started to go one by one, "Jean Kirstein, you are here today because you have shown the valuable skills of a leader, you ask the right questions and have been able to think clearly in stressful situations."

_Thinking about the conversation we had in the training room the day before our last expedition, I have to agree with Erwin on this one._

He continued, "Sasha Blouse, you have shown your determination in the field, your quick reactions and strength have been very valuable on the field."

_I have to agree on this one too, I just need to tell her that a Titan stole her potatoes and she will barge at it and kill it in no time. It would almost make me feel pity for the monster. Almost._

"Connie Springer, you have assisted many Titan kills, your teamwork is one of your best attributes followed by your ODM gear skills."

_I've seen him on the field always looking out for his comrades, he's also very quick when traveling with the ODM gear._

"Armin Arlert, your critical thinking skills are above the charts, your quick reactions to your environment gave us critical information during the last expedition."

_That brat figured out what the Female Titan was before anyone could even start to think about such a thing. I must admit, in the end, it saved our ass, he would've been one of my top choices to begin with._

"Mikasa Ackerman, top of her class, her speed, combat skills, and strength are just a few of her qualities. In all honesty, I can say", Erwin stared at me, "that she is the closest person that had ever come close to Humanity Strongest here." He finished pointing at me.

_Of course, Erwin, you just had to; she showed a lot of these qualities on the last expedition it almost made me have some sort of respect for the brat. Almost. But there is also the huge fact that she is an unruly demon that can easily ignore orders._

I realized that I spaced out when I saw everyone staring at me as Erwin asked me, "So, any words?"

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, defeated I said, "Well, welcome to the suicide squad."

They all stared at each other confused and Erwin said, "What he means is that you are all now the new members of the elite team, your superior will be Captain Levi, he will be the one training you all and for any matter related to the Survey Corps you respond to him.", He then looked at me, "I already arrange their personal files for you to look at."

"That won't be necessary", I responded then I stared at them and said, "Yeager lead them to their new quarters, explain the rules of the castle and make sure that everyone is fully moved to their new rooms by the end of the day. I will be attending a personal matter today so you will be in charge until I get back.", I sighed, "you are all dismissed."

They left the office and I saw Erwin staring at me with a smile on his face, "You are having way too much fun with this.", I told him

The bastard replied to me, "You have no idea."

After leaving the torture chamber that had become Erwin's office, I walked back to mine. I dropped on my chair and stared at the locked drawer from my desk as the memory of his words made their way to my mind, _"my mother gave me this ring that has been a family heirloom for years..."_ I opened the drawer and took out the little box while staring at it I murmured "I am sorry...". I grabbed my coat put the box in my pocket and left.

\-----------------------------------

**Author P.O.V.**

As they walked through the hall of the dorms of the castle Eren guided each one to their new room, showing the last room to Mikasa.

"And this one is yours."- he said opening the door to one of the rooms

The room was bigger than her old one and it was spotlessly cleaned.

"Where is yours?"- Mikasa asked

"Is down the basement as a precaution, in case I have a nightmare or anything related I can't turn down there, also the only ones allowed to go there are Captain, Hanji, or Erwin, that is part of the rules." - he said

"Oh..."

"Start moving your stuff, once everyone is done, I will go over the rules."- he said as he left.

\--------------------------------------

Knock. Knock.

A short old lady opens the door and stares at the person in front of her lost for words.

"He fought bravely until the end; he was one of my best men... I... I am so sorry for your loss."- Levi said to Oluo's mom

Her eyes watered at his words, "I am so glad to hear that, he looked at you like a brother, thank you for being there for him."

"I... I wish I could've done more; I am so...", his voice started breaking, "sorry...".

He reached out to his pocket and grabbed the little box ring, "He told me you gave this to him, it's yours" he held out the box to her.

Surprised she carefully took the box and hugged it, "Thank you, Captain, I know you always took good care of him, it is not your fault, he fought bravely till the end..." she stared at him, "I am sure he wouldn't have it any other way... I also know, that wherever his soul is... he is bragging about his captain like he always used to... he would be proud of you..." she reached out to hug him making him drop the tears he was holding back.

**\--------Back at the Castle---------**

He met them at the kitchen, "Alright this is the deal, in every room, there is a copy of the 'Clean or Die' manual, is in the top drawer of your nightstand, there is a section for everything you could think off, trust me, you will want to follow the manuals procedure if you don't want to face the Captains' wrath.", Eren said and sighed, "Follow the curfew time, do your chores, follow your orders and you might survive his highness.", he finished the last statement with a mocking tone, and continued, "you can eat something before you go to bed, try and go to bed early, I am sure he will start kicking out your doors tomorrow ridiculously early."

Sasha ran to get some snacks and everyone else followed.

"You are not going to eat?"- Mikasa asked Eren

"Look, you are part of the elite team now, stop asking me about stuff like that, I don't need you following me around like an overly protective mother, just do your shit away from me"- he said and left to his room. Leaving Mikasa lost for words.

Armin overheard his rant to Mikasa and approached her, "Forget about him Mikasa, he is being more of a dick lately."

Worried Mikasa replied, "I wonder if I did something to make him mad."

"Doubt it, he is being like that for a while."

"It seems like he doesn't even like that I am here."

"Look, you are here for your abilities, he is here because for a random act of the trinity walls he happened to be a Titan Shifter if there is someone more deserving of being here that is you. Don't let him get to you, he had always been a little jealous of your abilities, just... try to ignore him"- Armin said

Mikasa sighed frustrated and said, "I think he has been clear enough, even if it breaks my heart, it's time for me to back off."

**\------------------------------------------**

The beautiful morning started with...

"Wake up you sleepy brats!"- Levi shouted as he started to kick open each door.

KICK.

"I start today the impossible mission of making something useful out of your asses!"

KICK.

"If you don't want me to kick the life out of your body you will get out of bed now!"

KICK.

"Wake up! Breakfast is served, eat fast I don't have time to wait on your asses all day!"

KICK.

"I will feed to the ugliest titan whoever doesn't wake up right now!"

KICK.

They arrived at the kitchen and found Eren already having his breakfast on one of the tables. As they sat to eat, Mikasa for the first time ever, sat on another table away from him. She chose a small table at the corner, next to a window. Jean joined her and the rest of the gang sat with Eren.

"Why is Mikasa not seating with us?"- Sasha asked

"She was feeling a little blue this morning maybe she sat by the window to be able to look outside and feel better."- Armin said quickly, avoiding Erens suspicious gaze

"Jean didn't waste any time before he could sit with her."- Eren said sourly

"What do you think they are talking about?"- Sasha asked curiously

"He is probably telling her a little something we heard from Hanji."- Connie said teasingly

Curious Eren asked, "Spit it out, what is it about?"

"Well, it turns out, Levi's last name is 'Ackerman' "- Connie answered

"What! Why haven't we heard this before?!"- Armin said surprised

"Do you think he is some sort of lost brother of hers, or maybe related somehow?!"- Sasha asked

"She would probably shoot herself if that is true."- Eren replied

"It would be nice if they are family, she lost hers, I bet she would like it"- Connie said

"What are you talking about? She has a family! I am her family!"- Eren said with, a little too loud for his taste, voice

"Are you afraid to be replaced? An adoptive brother versus a real brother, I wonder, which one would have more weight in the end."- Connie said teasingly

Angry at his words Eren stood up in rage and punched him in the face, "She would never repla-"

Levi appeared at the kitchen and cut him short "Oi! Oi! Yeager cut it out! From all of these brats the one that started causing trouble had to be you, go run 10 laps, and if you still feel like hitting brats do 10 more! Go! Now!"

"Yes Sir!"- Eren replied as he left

Levi stared annoyed at the rest of them, "I won't tolerate this type of shit around here, finish your breakfast, and meet me at the ODM training grounds in 15 minutes."

"Yes Sir!"- everyone replied while running to their rooms to get dressed quickly.

They arrived at the training grounds and started putting their gear on.

"We are going to start by slashing the nape of the Titan dummies that will appear during the course, you will spread out and move through the course the same way, do not go and try to slash all of them, only cover the ones that are in your area." , Levi started explaining, "The point of the exercise is to get to the finish line fast, this scenario is similar to what we do when we retreat from a mission, the point is to retreat as fast as possible only killing Titans when is absolutely necessary, you will have to move efficiently, the finish line is far away on purpose, if you use too much gas you will not make it."

Everyone was ready to go when he finished the instructions, suddenly Eren arrived panting from the laps he had to do, "Yeager, you are late, that will cost you ten more laps after we are done, I will not wait for you to get ready so for now look at how this exercise unfolds." Levi said to him

"Alright let's go!" - Levi said as he fired his gear to the first tree and disappeared quickly into the course.

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

He started and he just disappeared, he was ridiculously fast. I fired and started moving as fast as I could to try and catch up to him when I finally saw him upfront. I pushed my gas further as I moved in front of him giving him a competitive look.

"Ackerman! I am not competing here!"

"Are you scared!?"- I teased

"I don't need to prove something that I already know!"

"What do you mean?"

"That I am better than you!"- he said

 _He just had to push my buttons_ , I pushed the gas and went farther ahead while I said to him, "We will see about that!"

He sped up behind me and said, "Are you going to make me save your ass again for not following orders!"

Confused I replied, "What are you talking abo-?" when I was cut short at the sound of my ODM gear sputtering out the last of my gas, making me go down on a free fall.

**Levi P.O.V.**

I grabbed her as she fell, her strings never made it back to her base and they collided with mine when I tried to shoot to a near tree. The strings just moved around us as we fell. I had to pull her close to me and shift our weights so I would take most of the damage of the fall as I placed my hands around her head to protect it from the impact. When we finally hit the ground, the strings were all around us restricting our movements and Ackerman started struggling to get out.

"Ackerman! Don't move you will make it worse!" as I said it the base of our gears tried to pull back the strings to it, making it tighter around us.

I rolled us to end up on top of her to restrain her from moving more and making this worse than what it already was, "I said, stop moving! Movements make the strings tighter because the system senses it and tries to pull back the hooks to the base! Why is it so hard for you to follow a fucking order cadet!"

She gave me a death stare, and I told her "Don't look at me like that if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."

She then looked at the side avoiding my own death stare, I didn't realize how close we were until then. My back and my neck hurt like hell and trying to keep my head up was getting painful by the minute. "Oi! Are any of you brats planning on helping us any time soon?!" I shouted.

"Captain! Where are you!"- Yeager shouted

"Here!"

"Where is Mikasa?"

"With me! Just follow my voice!"

When the brat saw us, he just stood there in shock.

"I... Uh..."

"For fucks sake Yeager! Are you so uncoordinated that you can't speak and walk at the same time?!"

I couldn't handle the pain of my neck so I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against hers while murmuring, "He has this fucking ability to make my patience commit suicide every time I see him"

"On that, we can agree."- she replied

At her response I shot my eyes open and pulled back my head to stare at her, amused at her comment I said: "Look at that, it seems like I have to restrain you for you to agree with me about something." With a heavily sarcastic tone.

"Don't get used to it."-She replied

Then Yeager arrived and helped us get out of the strings

**Eren P.O.V.**

When I saw him on top of her a sudden rage paralyzed me, _what is he doing to her?!_

"For fucks sake, Yeager! Are you so uncoordinated that you can't speak and walk at the same time?!"- Levi shouted at me, making me move quickly to get her away from him as soon as possible.

As I got closer I saw him putting his forehead on top of hers while mumbling something.

_TOO. FUCKING.CLOSE._

She then murmured something back and... _Why are they smirking at each other?!_ I ran to them then, I needed to get her away from him.

"Done" - I said when I finished helping them out of the strings.

I then grabbed her wrist and pulled her away with me as fast as I could.

"Why are you pulling me! Stop!"- Mikasa shouted

"You... Fell alright! You could be hurt I am taking you to the Infirmary"- I replied

"Stop! We should take the Captain to the Infirmary he took most of the damage"- she replied

Angry I replied almost screaming, "He was on top of you, Mikasa! You probably received most of it!"

"No! He was below me when we hit the ground, then he switched."

"Why would he switch! Why did he want to be on top of you huh?!"- I replied angrily

Then Levi appeared, grabbed the hand I was using to grab Mikasa's wrist, and with his thumb, he strongly applied pressure to the crease of my wrist causing a sharp pain to ran over my arm and making me instantly release my hold.

"Stop the drama, Yeager! You are so caught up in whatever crap you are feeling that you didn't even notice that you were hurting her!"

That's when I realized that I was holding her wrist with all of my strength. When I looked at it a purple mark was starting to show as she covered it.

As I started to try to apologize to her, "Mikasa... I...", he cut me short...

"Get the fuck out of here I will take her to the Infirmary"- he shouted at me angrily

**Author P.O.V.**

"Are you alright?" - Levi asked her

"I am fine, you, on the other hand, should be the one heading to the Infirmary. Why did you turn us when we were falling? You took all the damage!"

"You can't complain, if I recall, you told me... what were the exact words? Something about letting me do it next time?"

Mikasa remembered that she told him that when he started complaining to her when she shielded him from the debris caused by the head of the Female Titan against the floor. "I can't believe you would remember that" she replied

"I never forget when someone tries to hurt my ego.", he replied.

**\-------------A week after-----------**

Finishing training for the day Mikasa and Sasha walked back to their dorms.

Sasha groaned in pain as she said, "Everything hurts! The Captain is Relentless! He is like a pocket-size devil incarnate!"

"Training has been more intense but is not really that bad." -Mikasa replied

"You say that because you are as relentless as he is! I wonder if it has something to do with your genes..."

"Genes? What are you talking about?"

"Didn't Jean told you?"

"What?"

"The morning of the day after we arrived here, at breakfast, he sat with you..."

**...Backflash...**

Jean sits at the table with Mikasa, and the only sound between them was crickets...

**...end of backflash...**

"He literally just sat there, in awkward silence... He didn't say anything to me"- Mikasa clarified

Sasha grunted in pain as they started to walk up the stairs, "I don't remember if they overheard or if she told them directly, the thing is Hanji said that Levi's last name is also 'Ackerman' "

Surprised Mikasa said, "What! Why didn't anyone told me about it?!"

Sasha shrugged as she said, "We all thought Jean told you that day."

Trying to make sense of what that meant she said, "Do you think... Maybe...- ", When Sasha cut her short.

"You should just ask him you know where his office is."- she said while heading to her dorm

**\--------------------------------------------**

**Levi P.O.V.**

I was going through the paperwork that had the details of our next expedition when someone knocked on my door.

Annoyed I shouted, "Name and Purpose!"

"Mikasa Ackerman Sir!, Purpose... Uh... I have a question, Sir!"

_A question?_

"Come on in!"

She opened the door and closed it behind her, I signaled to the chair in front of me and she sat.

"So, what's this question about? Spit it out!"

"I... Uh...", She started folding the end of her scarf avoiding my gaze, _is she nervous?_ , "I just heard something and I wanted to confirm Sir!"

"Go on..." - I pressured for her to keep going

She was blushing as she pulled her scarf up to cover part of her face, she almost looked adorable. Almost. "Ackerman, if you cover your mouth I would not be able to hear you." I teased, while she blushed, even more, _this is getting fun._

"Look... what is your last name?"- she asked

"Are we now asking personal questions huh?!" I said raising a brow, "Alright, two can play this game, for every question I answer you will have to answer one of mine, deal?"

She stared at me giving me a suspicious look as she answered, "Fine."

"Alright, my last name is Ackerman too.", I stared at her while she gave me a curious look, "My turn now, what's the deal between you and Yeager?"

She opened her eyes in surprise, "What... What do you mean?"

"Look, part of my job is to protect the wellbeing of my cadets, had he ever hurt you or force you to do something against your will?"

"No! He would never-"

I cut her short, "There! You just lied."

"What!?"

"You said 'never', that is a lie, I personally witnessed when he hurt your wrist, the first time we ran the ODM training while yelling some bullshit at you."

"I... Uh....-"

"Look, it seems that he had, for now...", I sighed, "If he ever, do anything like that again, you will come to me and tell me, and that is an order! If you don't follow through I would kick you out of the elite team since it would be clear that you are not safe around him."

She gave me a death stare as I continued, "So, you didn't really answer my question, but I'll let it pass, shoot your next question."

"Are we related?!", She almost shouted

I raised a brow at her, "Just because we have the same last name doesn't mean that we are related", as I saw her puzzled look I sighed and continued, "the Ackerman clan... Well is not like I know much about it but, they were persecuted and almost eradicated, my mother was an Ackerman, I don't know who my dad is or was but, since most of the clan is gone, I highly doubt he was one. That leaves only my mother's brother, my uncle unless the bastard was fooling around, I highly doubt that he could have a connection with you... Are both of your parents Ackerman?"

"No... my dad was an Ackerman, my mom was oriental..."

"Was?"

She sighed, "They were killed trying to protect me from three kidnappers when I was 9 years old, Eren found me at their hideout killed two of them, and I killed the last. That day he gave me this scarf and I guess... that's why I always use it..."

"Are you... Three guys?... You are oriental... It...", _It can't be..._

"Are you... okay, Captain?"

"I just remembered that Erwin is waiting for me in his office, let's continue this conversation later, you may leave."

She nodded and left.

I ran to Erwin's office and slammed open the door, "I need to read Mikasa's Ackerman personal file now!"- I told him

Unsurprised he pointed at her file that was already on top of his desk, "take it, I'll be here if you want to talk after you are done"

I gave him a suspicious look and took the file.

**\------meanwhile in Armin's room-----**

**Author P.O.V.**

"I don't know Armin, there is something about him that seems off to me, I have an odd feeling that I've seen him before" -Eren said

"Well, since you were a kid, you always received the survey corps when they arrived from their expeditions and he was there"- Armin replied

"No, I am sure that it was somewhere else outside of the survey corps, I just... I don't remember, but I can't make that odd feeling go away, even when he appeared for the first time in one of the expeditions arrivals, I had the feeling..."

"What about the Survey Corps cadets that seemed to always hang out around your house, maybe you saw him there?"

"No, I never saw him around my house..."

Curious Armin asked, "Do you know when he joined the Survey Corps?"

"I remember to start seeing him in the expeditions arrivals when Mikasa started to go with me to see them too, but as I said, even then, it felt like I've seen him before."

"Have you asked him?"

"What if is something he is trying to hide and by asking him I might reveal that I know..."

"There is another option, but I would suggest to do it as a last resource, meaning we see that he is putting someone's life in danger." Armin sighed and continued, " Remember the agonizing interviews Erwin did to each of us when we joined the Survey Corps?"

"The one with an infinite number of questions that made you want to shoot yourself because they seemed to never end? Yeah, how could I forget."

"Look, he does that for everyone when they join, and I know for a fact that Erwin has been in the Survey Corps way longer than Levi."

"Where are you getting with this?"

"All of those questions, about your past, childhood, etc. are part of your personal file, I bet Erwin has one of those for every member of the Survey Corps."

"Oh... I bet there would be something useful in Levi's"

"As I said, as the last resource, don't make me regret telling you about it..."

**\-----------------------------**

**Levi P.O.V.**

I opened her personal file, and started looking for key events:

_Mikasa Ackerman, parents deceased_

I ran over her parents' death events...

_Three men arrived at her house to kidnap her, killing the father followed by the mother..._

I jumped to the events when Yeager appears...

_Eren Yeager found the kidnappers hideout on his own, posing as a lost boy he stabbed two of the men, then a third one appeared and Mikasa Ackerman killed him._

I ran to the details section of the location of the events...

_The address, where the murders of the three men, is..._

_Fuck!... after all of these years, Kenny... you still find a way to fuck me up!_

I ran to Erwin's office and slammed open the door.

"It's her! She is the one right! The reason why I...."

I started pacing around his office...

"I figured, you also realized who the little boy was too..."- Erwin said

"That little scheming shit!... I should've known!"

"... I think it's time for you to know the whole story... Sit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulViolence/pseuds/Seraphy for the art! I love it so much!


	4. Unexpected

  
**Levi** **P.O.V.**

"Today we are going to practice Hand-to-Hand combat. We haven't done this in a while since is useless against Titans, but, now that we have the possibility of shifters hiding around us, we need to prepare. I know you have practiced this before so I will just pair you based on your abilities."

I started naming the pairs and realized that Armin Arlert wasn't around, "Yeager! Where is Arlert?!"

"He is with Erwin, he called him to his office to review the plan for our next expedition."

"Alright then, that changes the pairing, Blouse pair with Springer, Yeager go with Kristein, and I will pair with Ackerman."

At my last pairing announcement, I noticed that Yeager's posture stiffen.

"Do you have a problem with the pairings cadet?", I asked him.

"I can pair with Mikasa, we've been fighting together for a long time. I know how to fight against her.", he argued.

"As I said, I am pairing based on abilities, what makes you think you could fight against her when, even in your Titan form, she would totally kick your ass? She needs someone that can actually challenge her, not someone who will hold her back. Last time I checked, the only one who can kick her ass is me."

Clearly annoyed but out of arguments he went back into position.

I continued explaining, "First, I want to see you fight, then I will go against Ackerman. Start!"

As they started fighting I noticed that Connie Springer was clearly overpowering, Sasha Blouse. To make it a fairer fight I said, "Blouse! I heard that Springer was planning on stealing your bread at lunch!". Instantly she barged at him, throwing him on the floor while screaming, "Over my dead body!".

 _Good_.

Kristein and Yeager were fairly balanced but to make it more interesting I said, "Kristein! I heard you planned on asking his SISTER out today!" Yeager jumped at him, punched him, but Kristein managed to defend himself kicking him on the ribs.

_Not bad._

"Ackerman! Let's start!"

We stood in position and she started throwing punches, I was dodging and moving around to test her. She tried a couple of kicks but I dodge them. She was pretty fast, but there was still room for improvement. She threw a kick and I grabbed her leg, she turned to go for an elbow hit to my face and almost got me. In the end, I dropped her to the floor and pinned her down. With my hands holding down each of her wrists with her elbows slightly bent over her head.

Suddenly Sasha yelled, "Mika! Do my move!"

Confused, I slightly softened my grip against her wrists and she was able to move her arms to the sides and straightened them, with my hands still holding her wrists, her movement pulled me closer to her face.

_What the fuck is going on?_

She then started to get her face close to mine...

_Is she going to kiss me!?_

Confused at the move I pulled back a little and she took advantage of it. She released a leg, throwing me out of balance and rolling our bodies. She ended up on top of me smirking at my, still confused, face. Then she pulled closer to my ear and whispered "Humanity Strongest? More like Humanity Shortest."

_Scheming little bitch._

Eren walked to stand right next to us and said, "So, you were saying Captain?"

Angry, I stared at Mikasa and said, "That was a dirty move Brat!"

She replied, "There is no right or wrong in war, the only important thing is to survive."

Amused I said, "You are so screwed, do you realize you can't use that trick twice with me right?"

"We'll see.", she replied.

"Oh really! Prove it!"

Eren yelled, "What?!"

Her eyes opened in shock and her, 'all-too-sure-I-beat-your-ass' stance changed to an 'oh-shit-I'm-screwed' one, _that's more like it._

After I released her I said, "Come on Ackerman! Let's go at it again!"

_This will be fast._

She stood up and threw a punch, I grabbed it turned my body while holding her arm making her lose balance as I pinned her to the floor again the same way. I moved my face closer to her until our noses were touching and I said, "Yeager! What do you think? Should she try her shitty little trick again?"

Angered Eren said, "Mikasa don't!", while she just stared at me trying to kill me with her eyes.

"And why is that Yeager!?", I asked.

"Because knowing you, I know you won't back out!", he said.

"Exactly! Not even if you end up kissing me, brat!", I said to her.

**Author** **P.O.V** **.**

Sasha walked to Connie while Levi and Mikasa were fighting.

"Exactly! Not even if you end up kissing me, brat!", Levi said to Mikasa.

"I wonder if he would say the same if it was one of the guys", Sasha whispered to Connie.

"We should make Jean try.", Connie said chuckling.

"You have a couple of hours before meeting back with me to discuss the details of our next expedition after lunch. You are all dismissed!", Levi said.

Eren walked to him and told him, "Do you really had to!?"

Levi turned to leave and as he was walking away responded, "There is no right or wrong in war, the only important thing is to survive."

**\---------------------**

"For the hundredth time, no, I can't read his mind, I can't feel what he feels, I can't see ghosts, and I, for sure, can't teleport, otherwise, I wouldn't be here.", Mikasa said to Hanji.

"Are you sure? There is a reason Ackermans were almost eradicated, apart from their extraordinary abilities there are texts with theories of a bond. You have to give me something!", Hanji said.

"Where are that people that eradicated the clan now? I want to file a complaint, they forgot about Captain Annoying...", Mikasa sighed and continued, "Look, the only thing we share is a common hate for each other."

"Oh!", Hanji exclaimed excited while taking notes, "So have you guys ever been with opposite moods."

"What do you mean?"

"You know like, at the same time he is happy while you are not, different emotions from both of you at the same moment."

"How would I know if he is happy, sad, or anything? He always has this 'oh-I'm-so-high-and-mighty-that-everyone-annoys-me' face."

Hanji sighed frustrated, "Well if you feel anything that could be a clue let me know, I've been trying to test all of these theories for years now."

Annoyed Mikasa replied, "Can I go now?"

"Yes, you may leave."

Mikasa left Hanjis' office/laboratory and started walking through the narrow hall that leaded outside of the building. She walked with her head bowed down lost in thought when suddenly she almost crashed with Levi who was walking towards Hanji's. They stopped before crashing into each other and at the same time tried to move to the same side to let the other pass through. Then, they moved to the same side at the same time again.

"Ackerman! You go right and I go left, go!"

They moved again to the same side.

"Ackerman!"

"Your left is my right and your right is my left sir!", Mikasa responded.

"Then, go to the other right! Just let me pass through!"

Mikasa smirked and said, "Alright" while she grabbed his shoulder, pushed him with all her strength to the side, making him hit the wall while passing through, leaving Levi stuck to the wall with a twitchy eye and fantasizing on all the possible ways he could kill her and get away with it.

**\---------**

"I can't believe we are going on another expedition when we don't even know where Annie is.", Sasha said worriedly.

"So far there had been no sightings reported. We did the announcement, posted the wanted posters, and nothing. It feels like the earth just swallowed her.", Armin said frustrated.

"Do you think she would appear during the next expedition?", Connie asked.

"I doubt it, this expedition is highly classified, only the elite squad, Erwin and Hanji know about it. Also, we have wanted posters in every exit from the walls, and the Garrisons branch has been diligent with extra patrols and increased number of cadets on duty.", Armin said.

"So, the only way she could get out would be transforming inside and jump the walls right?", Jean asked Armin while raising a brow.

"That's correct, I think we will not see her around for a while. She is probably waiting for the extra measures to cool down.", Armin confirmed.

**\------**

They met at the Castle's kitchen and sat on the same table while Levi handed them copies of the expedition details.

"The Garrison Branch notified us about a couple of abnormals that were sighted at the southwest area. They have been in the same area for days and are blocking the way to our outside post. We need to survey the area and get rid of them. This is the map of the route we will take.", he said showing them one of the papers that had the map.

"We will move as one unit but, we have assigned areas for each one of you. Even though we will be traveling close to each other is imperative that we stay within those boundaries. From left to right we will have Kristein, Arlert, Ackerman, me, Yeager, Blouse, and Springer.", he said by pointing to each assigned area in the diagram.

Then, he continued, "In case an emergency occurs, you can only move one area to either left or right for support. We want to avoid being all in the same area if a Titan ambush occurs. The only moment that we could break formation is if I order it. We leave tomorrow morning so I would suggest, you go to bed early."

Having finished with the details, he dismissed them and left.

"What do you think could happen if we get ambushed while being all at the same area", Sasha asked Jean.

"It would be the goriest all you can eat buffet for Titans, that's for sure.", he replied as they left to their rooms.

**\--------**

Knock. Knock.

A sleepy yellow-haired boy opened the door.

"Armin!", Mikasa jumped to hug him, startling him. She gave him a kiss on his cheek before saying, "Happy Birthday!"

"Uh? Is it my birthday today?"

"How can you forget your birthday, here, this is for you. Open it!", Mikasa said showing him a gift-wrapped box with a ribbon on top.

While opening his gift he said, "Oh, you shouldn't have". He stopped talking when he saw the box contents and stared at Mikasa, in shock, he said, "Is this...!?"

"Yes! I know you always loved that book, back when we were kids you showed it to us all the time while talking about your dreams of discovering the world beyond the walls. I know you left it behind when we had to run to safety during the wall breach. So I went to the library and found a copy of it."

Armin's face lit up with a smile and hugged Mikasa as he said, "Thank You! Thank you! Thank You!"

"No need to thanks, is the least I can do, do you have plans after the expedition today?"

"Not really, I've been so busy helping Erwin with the whole ordeal that I even forgot that today was my birthday."

"Well, after the expedition, we can go to the city, I can take you to that library, they had other books with pictures from outside the walls there."

"Really!? Deal! We have to go!", Armin said excitedly.

Mikasa hugged him again and went to her dorm to get ready for the expedition.

**\-------**

The team started their expedition and for a while, there were no titans sightings, which was uncommon due to the information received from the Garrison branch. Suddenly, two abnormals started sprinting towards Eren from behind a rock that worked as a hiding place for them.

The first abnormal grabbed Eren from his horse and started guiding him to its mouth. Mikasa, jumped past Levi to save Eren.

"Ackerman! Don't move from your area, is an order!", Levi shouted at her but she ignored him and kept moving towards Eren.

She cut the Titans hand that had him, and she started to sprint towards him once he was on the floor. While she was running to him the second abnormal grabbed her and started tightening the grip around her breaking her ODM gear. When she was about to get eaten, Captain Levi cut the Titan's hand and grabbed her with a firm hold of his arm around her waist. Then, he placed her on a tree branch and he moved to the tree next to it to cover his area.

"Ackerman! Follow your fucking orders", he yelled at her.

"Eren... Eren was going to die!"

Angry at her he said, "Look at the titan that grabbed him, look at it now!"

She looked at it and saw it lying on the ground, nape cut and already steaming its body out, right next to the dead body of the Titan that grabbed her.

"Sasha was in a better position than you and cut the nape as soon as it grabbed Eren, you put your life and mine in danger acting recklessly and it ended up fucking up your ODM gear! Trust your fucking orders! Cadet! He wasn't going to die he was already saved!"

Lecturing her made his focus on their surroundings less sharp when he noticed what was about to happen it was too late...

An abnormal titan was running towards the tree where Mikasa was standing, it crashed with it, breaking it, sending Mikasa to a free-fall straight into the titan's huge opened mouth.

His senses heightened watching every detail that was happening in slow motion, he watched her try to fire her ODM gear multiple times, her face flooded with fear as her body descended, her eyes locked onto his as she extended her arm to him, and even though he pushed his body to the limits of his speed he couldn't make it in time before the titan...

swallowed...

her...

up...

"Mikasa!", Eren screamed as he watched the scene unfolding in front of his eyes while Sasha, Connie, and Armin, ran to restrain him from approaching the creature.

**Levi** **P.O.V.** ****

_Gone. Is she... gone? It swallowed her... swallowed... could it be?"_

"Jean I will leave you in charge!... Take the team and retreat now! Is my last order!"

Scared, Jean responded, "What!? You are not coming with us?! Last order?!"

I jumped into the titan's mouth that had swallowed Mikasa while replying, "I am going to gamble!"

**Author** **P.O.V.**

"Levi! Stop! Are you crazy! No...", Jean yelled at Levi while he watched him falling down straight into the Titans' mouth.

With his last order in mind, and pushing his feelings aside, he approached the rest of the team and said, "We are retreating! Levi put me in charge! We are leaving now!"

"Let me go! It ate the Captain too, I will kill it!", Eren said while fighting against Sasha, Connie, and Armin's hold.

Jean walked to him and with the back of his sword hit him on the head, knocking him out, "We are leaving now! Is Levis last order and I don't want anyone else dying on my watch! Armin! Guide Eren's horse while riding yours, I'll take Eren with me, we move now! Full Speed. Don't. Look. Back!"

**Levi P.O.V.**

"Levi! Stop! Are you crazy! Noooo...-", I stopped hearing him when I arrived in the Titans mouth.

Avoiding the teeth of the creature, I made it straight to the sticky and tight tube of the throat. I reached out my hand, stretching it the most I could, deeper into the beast. Without much air left, I found Mikasa's hand and grabbed it. I pulled her up, closer to me as I pulled my blade out to cut out of the creature from the inside. The Titan was regenerating almost as fast as my cuts. I was starting to feel the dizziness it comes before passing out and I thought, _I guess this is the end for me..._

Suddenly, I felt a spark of energy coming from her body into mine, giving me, what felt like, an inhumane strength, and almost out of air I started cutting faster, deeper, each cut causing more damage than the previous until I saw light creeping into the cut. _Almost there._ I kept going until the hole was big enough for both of us to fit and I fired my ODM gear to the nearest tree. We flew out from the inside part of the nape, killing the titan at the moment.

We landed on a tree branch, I was holding her body and picked her up bridal style while I rested my back against the tree, and slowly I slide down to sit.

I brought her closer to check her pulse, _her heart is beating_ , then, I pulled my face closer to hers, _she is breathing_. I sighed in relief, _she's alive._

We were both a mess, covered with blood, saliva and wall only know what other nasty titan body fluid was clinging to our bodies, _I need a bath._

"Captain...." She said suddenly, making me look at her.

Then, she said, "...you stink."

And just like that, things went back to normal, the feeling of peace and relief was suddenly changed with the, now too normal, constant desire to strangle the life out of her body.

"We are both covered with the same shit, I will make you do my laundry, brat!"

_We need to get out of here before I waste my efforts of saving her by killing her with my own hands._

"Are you coherent enough to ride back?", I asked her.

She nodded, I carried her down the tree with my gear, we called the horses and rode back to the walls.

**\------**

**Eren P.O.V.**

I opened my eyes, and my head hurt like hell, when I tried to move, I felt my hands restrained. I started to look around to make sense of what was happening. I was at the Infirmary, tied to the bed and Jean was sitting next to my bed. Hanji's voice made me look to the other side of the bed where she was looking at my head.

"You didn't hold back on this one huh!", she said to Jean.

"He had it coming for a while.", he responded.

Then, I remembered he knocked me out, and... Mikasa...

"Mikasa! What happened!?", I shouted.

"She is gone.", Jean said.

"No! The Captain had a plan! That's why he..."

"They are both gone, the Captain just lost the last of his sanity before he jumped in...", Jean replied.

"Did he really...", Hanji asked in disbelief.

"Yes, he jumped while yelling something about gambling, I am telling you, he lost it.", Jean said.

"Are the Garrisons aware of what happened?", Hanji asked.

"No, I just went straight here to restrain him before he could wake up.", he said while I was giving him a death stare.

"I've known Levi for years, if he said he was going to gamble, it means that he had a plan with a high probability of failure. Go to the Garrisons now and tell them that there is a possibility that Levi and Mikasa could be on their way back. I want them to keep watch so they can open the doors as soon as they spot them.", Hanji said.

"Do you really think that they could be alive?", Jean asked her incredulously.

"Just go and do that.", Hanji ordered.

Jean nodded and left.

"Hanji...", I said lost for words.

"Just trust your Captain, that crazy bastard wouldn't have jumped to the mouth of a Titan if he didn't have a plan on his mind. With all the crap he's been through without losing his sanity, it's highly unlikely that he would lose it now. Is a long shot but, all we can do now is to believe in him.", Hanji said.

Her words gave me hope, I never thought of the possibility of a life without her. She was always saving my ass, for me, it was a fact that I was going to die first. But this? Not having her around? I want her in my life, I NEED her in my life... How could I be so stupid to realize this now... _I need you here with me._

**Jean** **P.O.V.** ****

"Keep an eye out for riders! There are two that might be on their way back! We need to spot them to open the doors!", I shouted to them. _Great, here I am with hopes again about something that is impossible, I hope this crazy scientist is right._

"Two riders incoming!", one of the Garrisons shouted to the cadets in charge of the doors.

"What!", I exclaimed.

Suddenly the doors started opening...

_Please be you, please be you, please be you..._

The two riders covered in what looked like Titan goo entered the walls. I saw her and I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding and started running to them.

"Mikasa! Captain! You are alive!"

"Don't sound so surprised Kristein!", Levi replied.

"How!?", I asked lost for words.

"It looks like the Captain taste as he lives, causing indigestion to every living creature.", Mikasa said with a smirk.

"Go take a bath, you stink! I want to see you in my office after!", Levi said to her.

"Mikasa, I think you should go see Eren, he was so worried we had to restrain him so he wouldn't transform. Go, he is in the Infirmary, I will go to Erwin's and tell Armin, he is probably there.", I said as I ran to Erwin's office.

**Author P.O.V.**

Mikasa arrived at the Infirmary and headed to Eren's bed, he looked at her in shock lost for words.

"Is it you? Is it really you?!"

"No, I'm dead, and I decided to hunt you for the rest of your life because I don't have anything more interesting to do.", she answered mocking him.

"Stop playing around I thought you were dead!", Eren said angrily.

She started to undo his restraints and said, "You are staring, I know I am covered in titan stuff, you don't need to remind me."

"Is just... I thought I would never see you again."

Finishing untying him she said, "There, you are free. And next time you see me I will not be smelling like shit because I am going to take a bath NOW.", she turned to start walking away.

"But Mikasa... I want to talk...", Eren said trying to get her attention but as she kept walking she responded, "Titan goo out of my body is my priority right now, we can talk later, I am not dying any time soon."

**\-----------**

"Erwin! Where's Armin?!", Jean asked as he arrived at his office.

"You just missed him, we went through the details of the expedition and then he excused himself. I think he wants to spend some time alone due to the losses we had...", Erwin said with a sad expression trying to hold back the tears.

"What losses!? They arrived they are alive!!", Jean said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!', Erwin said, a little too loud for his own taste.

Jean looked at him confused, it was uncommon to hear the commander using such language.

He continued, "Are you telling me that Levi is alive and the bastard hasn't had the decency to tell his best friend that tiny little detail!", Noticing Jean's confused stance Erwin said, "Thanks for the information you are dismissed."

He then sat on his desk chair thinking about all the possible ways he could get back at him.

**\-----------**

Knock. knock.

"Name and Purpose", Levi asked.

"Mikasa Ackerman, Sir! You asked to see me, Sir!"

"Did you bathe? I am not letting you in spreading filthy Titan goo all over my office!"

With a heavily sarcastic tone she said, "No, I stayed dirty on purpose because annoying you is more important than my hygiene." She rolled her eyes and continued, "Of course I bathe! And if you ask me if I followed the 'How to Clean Titan goo out of your body' section from your 'Clean or die' manual I swear to the walls I -" when Levi cut her short:

"Come in then."

She stepped in, closed the door behind her, and sat. For a moment it looked like a death stare contest, then Levi talked, "Ackerman you are banned from any future expedition outside the walls until further notice."

"What! No! You can't do that to me!", she protested.

"It's been decided as a consequence on your reckless behavior and lack of respect to your superiors", Levi responded.

"To my superiors? Or you? Is this some sort of personal vendetta? I will not accept it!", she said challenging him.

"No, until you show improvement and trust your orders you will not participate in any expedition, I will personally see through it!", he responded while clearly getting angrier by the minute.

"See! Is personal! This is unfair! You can't do this to me! If it is not personal, then, why?! Tell me! You can't treat me like this just because you hate me! I can't-"

Levi stood up from his chair feeling the rage flooding his body and punched the desk cutting her off, and shouted at her, "Because I can't trust you Mikasa!" while locking his eyes into hers.

Mikasa let out a gasp and felt the air being sucked out of her lungs. The strength of the words and the fact that he called her by her first name caught her by surprise. Levi took a deep breath and sat down again.

He continued, "I can't trust a comrade that acts erratically because of a lack of basic control of human emotions! I can't put the lives of the squad in danger because someone had a mood swing. Is not reliable, you are not reliable and your actions prove that you are a liability. If you can't control something as basic as human emotions, then you are no different from an animal!" 

Feeling insulted Mikasa responded, "How can you talk about emotions when you are the first one with anger issues all the time?!"

"Have I act on them? Have I put your life or your comrades' life in danger because of it?"

"Excuse me?"

"How many times have I saved your ass on the field even though I hate your guts? Many! Why? Because however, I feel, I have to accept the fact that you are one of our more valuable cadets, worth a hundred soldiers. Is called being objective a concept that seems too complicated for your little stupid head to understand! I let my whole team die to save Eren, friends, people that I actually liked spending time with! On top of it, I ended risking my life to save yours because you did not follow my orders, AGAIN." He sighed before continuing, staring into her eyes "Do you think that is easy? Giving orders? Do you think that is some sort of power game? Do you think that is easy to make the decision that you know will end up killing people close to you for the sake of humanity?"

Mikasa felt a hole in her chest that grew bigger with every word he said. She felt like she was looking at him for the first time, actually knowing him for the first time. The memories of all the little things she oversaw from every expedition, the way he was always keeping track of the team, running to save any comrade in possible danger, his face with the realization that he can't save them all but still calculating and planning every move ahead of time to minimize the possibility of death.   
_  
_

_Why I didn't see that? Was my anger for him so big to cloud my judgment?_ _How could I have been so stupid?_ she thought.

"Eren is a cadet with a lot of room for growth, and you are holding him back with your overprotection and emotional crap, grow the fuck up you are a soldier fucking act like it!", he sighed trying to cool down and continued, "It is nonnegotiable, that is all cadet you may leave", he said while standing up to walk around his desk and opening the door for her.

With her fists clenched on a mix of anger and frustration, she left his office without saying a word with the sour taste of reality pounding in her head with a fact that she could no longer deny: he was right. She was angry and full of hate, but now, it wasn't directed at him, it was directed at herself.

She arrived at her dorm and threw herself to bed, the emotional and physical exhaustion of the day was starting to take its toll on her.

 _Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a moment, I need to find Armin to take him to the library_ , she thought as she fell asleep.

**\-------**   
**Eren P.O.V.**

_She died. Dead. Gone, and now she's acting as if nothing happened?_ I thought as I sighed. I was walking down the hall on my way to the kitchen lost in thought.

_I couldn't do anything to save her, she could be really gone. I have never even thought of the possibility of her out of my life... Or any other possibility of her always close to me._

"Eren, can we talk?", Armin approached me.

"Not now Armin, my head is not in the right place right now.", I answered as I turned to my room.

**\-----**

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

She shot her eyes open, in panic.

_No, no, no, no, no, how much time did I sleep!?_

She looked to the window and thought, _I still have time, I need to find Armin._

She walked out of her room looking for him and overheard the exchange between him and Eren.

"Eren, can we talk?", Armin said.

"Not now Armin, my head is not in the right place right now.", Eren answered.

She followed Armin behind, quietly in hopes to surprise him, but he reached for the door of his room, got in, and slammed the door on her face without ever knowing she was there. She just stood there frozen.

**\-------**

**Armin** **P.O.V.**

I left Erwin's office with a hole on my chest, _she is dead, I couldn't save her._ I went to my room to find the book she gave me this morning with the promise of going to the library afterward, and now... she is not here... After a while I decided to talk with Eren, he probably feels the same, maybe sharing the pain somehow makes this easier, besides that's what she would've wanted us to do. I saw him down the hall...

"Eren, can we talk?", I asked.

"Not now Armin, my head is not in the right place right now.", he answered.

The pain of losing her overpowered me and I just ran to my dorm and slammed the door shut.

**Author P.O.V.**

When Armin arrived at his dorm he smashed his ODM gear into the wall. He started pacing, feeling anger boiling inside of him, he started to punch the wall while yelling,

"Useless!"

PUNCH. PUNCH.

"You are fucking useless!"

PUNCH. PUNCH. PUNCH.

"They have had to save you many times!"

PUNCH.PUNCH.

"Because you are weak!"

PUNCH.

"She died and you did nothing!"

PUNCH. PUNCH.

"Coward!"

PUNCH.

Panting, with his knuckles bleeding, he rested his back against the wall letting himself fall to the floor with his knees bent, he ran his fingers over his hair, and while feeling useless, weak, and lost, he started crying and sobbing in the darkness of his room alone.

Mikasa, standing at the other side of the door, having listened to everything, stood froze there. It wasn't until she felt her own tears fall that a sudden surge of anger overflowed her. She then left straight to Levi's office.

**Levi** **P.O.V**

I was there thinking about every word I told her, _maybe I was too rough on her,_ I thought when suddenly she threw my door open with anger scaring the shit out of me. _I wasn't rough enough, I see._

"What the fuck Acke-", I said but she cut me short.

"Where is he?!", she yelled at me.

"What? Who?! What are you -"

"Eren! Your precious Titan shifter, where is his room?"

"I already warned you, we haven't made the sex experi-"

"I don't give a fuck! The last thing I want to do to him right now is that, for fucks sake Levi! You can walk me there and stay while I talk to him if you are so concerned, I don't care that you even listen to the conversation!"

_Did she call me Levi? And she is angry at... Eren? I wouldn't miss this show for anything._

Amused I agreed, "Alright, follow me."

Arriving at the door, she knocked, as soon as he opened it, she punched him in the face making him fall to the ground.

"Holy Shit!", the reaction escaped my mouth.

She grabbed him by the neck and threw him against the wall.

"Mikasa What the fuck are you doing!? Stop!", Eren yelled.

She pinned him against the wall and started punching him in the face while saying, "Since the only way you learn is with violence..."

PUNCH.

_Oh, so now she understands._

"Captain!", Eren called for my help.

"Don't look at me, I am not going to help, I am here just for the show.", _shit I should've brought popcorn._

"I will make you understand even if I have to beat the shit out of you!"

PUNCH.

"What the fuck are you talking about!", he pleaded.

She stopped and stared at him, when he noticed that she was crying he started worrying, "What... what happened Mikasa..."

"You! Being a dick! To one of the few people that have been there for you always!"

Angered he replied, "If this is because I've been ignoring you, you can-"

PUNCH.

"No! Listen to me you little piece of shit!"

_Whoa, she is using my insults, I'm so proud..._

"What I am about to tell you is bigger than me, bigger than you and your fucking ego!", she continued.

Worried again Eren asked, "What is it, Mikasa..."

She started crying and with her voice breaking, she replied, "Armin... he tried to talk to you... you ignored him! I listened... I was outside of his door! I listened... how he broke down hitting the walls of his room! I listened while he shouted about how useless he felt, how weak he felt because he couldn't protect us! "

"Armin...", Eren whispered.

"And I bet my neck! That you forgot... that today... today was his birthday!"

"I..."

"Shut the fuck up and listen to me now... if you value your fucking life, you will do as I say..."

Scared, Eren nodded.

"You will forget whatever ridiculous anger or problem you have with me, at least for the rest of the night, and you will help me bake a cake, decorate the mess hall, bring everyone in, so we can get him the fuck out of his room and surprise him."

"Do we have time for-"

"I don't care! If it takes us all the fucking night, then, so be it!"

"You know that we have to ask for permission, specifically now that the Captain knows what we are planning."

Mikasa stared at me throwing daggers out of her eyes, "Do you have a problem with that, Sir?!"

I sighed, _this woman is going to be the end of me,_ I stared at her eyes tears still rolling down her cheeks, defeated I sighed again... "Let's go, I'll help", I answered.

**\-------------**

**Author P.O.V.**

"Show me what you have so far.", Levi asked Mikasa.

She started reading a piece of paper she had with the work division for Armin's surprise party. "Well, I thought, for the cake, Sasha could help us bake it."

"Sasha! Are you out of your mind! If she gets close to the oven she will burn the whole base and we will all die. No! I will bake it. What's next?!"

Mikasa sighed, "For decorations, I thought Eren could help."

"Eren, the Titan shifter, decorating? Really? He will probably end up falling down and dying, put Sasha to do that task!"

Frustrated at him she started rewriting the tasks as he asked, "What's next there?"

"Reorganizing the tables, I thought Connie?", She said looking at him already expecting him to change her choice.

"Connie? He will probably try and rearrange everything ridiculously fast without even thinking about how it looks, and in the process, tripping with something to end up falling to the floor and dying. Why do your plans always end up killing some or all of us! Give me that!", he said as he snatched the list from her hands making her groan in frustration.

"Jean will reorganize the chairs and tables, he is good at leading and reorganizing the group out in the field. Sasha decorations, Eren, and Connie will go and grab everyone except Armin, of course. I will bake the cake, you can help me decorate it, and...", He was lost in thought then continued, "You should be the one who brings Armin here."

Defeated she said to Eren, "Alright, Eren, go get the guys and tell them about their tasks."

As Eren walked away Levi yelled at him, "Come on! Left. Right. Left. Right. Move those legs faster! I don't have all night for you, Yeager!"

And scared... Eren ran to complete his mission.

**\------------**

Knock. Knock.

The yellow-haired boy opened the door, when he looked at the person in front of him he froze in shock.

"This is it, I lost it, I am officially crazy.", he said.

"It's me, Armin, I am really here..."

"Don't mess with me Mikasa's ghost!", his eyes watered as he said, "Is it really you?!"

She hugged him and said, "Yes, everything is Erens', fault he knew and he didn't tell you.", she said teasingly.

"No wonder why he seemed so relaxed! I was starting to think that he was a psychopath!", he said and chuckled as he held her tight, he continued, "Mika, I saw you die..."

"I know, I don't know how but, Captain Levi saved me."

Armin pulled back and stared at her, confused he asked, "How?"

"Well, I only remember when the Titans mouth closed with me inside, pulling me into its throat as I was gasping for air then, black. Later I opened my eyes and saw Captain Levi holding me and we were both covered in nasty Titan goo. Maybe that thing puked us out?"

Armin stared at her confused and said, "There is another option..."

Confused, Mikasa asked, "What?"

"That somehow Captain Levi found a way out of the Titans' ass."

(Authors note: Sorry! I had to!😂)

They both stared at each other and Mikasa said, "Now, I don't even want to know... Come with me."

"Wait! What!? Where to?"

"I want to show you something."

**\---------**

"Shut up he's coming! He's coming!", Jean said.

"Yeager! Get down from there he is almost here!", Levi shouted as they turned off the lights.

"Mikasa, where are we going? The mess hall is so dark, where is the light switch?"

"Armin, be careful, we don't want to get caught.", Mikasa said.

"I don't even know what we are doing here, to begin with!"

"Shush just help me find the light switch."

"Wait I think is this one-"

Armin turned the light on and everyone jumped while screaming, "Happy Birthday Armin!", scaring the shit out of him.

"Wait! What?!! You guys did this... For me?!"

"You are the reason we are all here today, to begin with!", Levi said.

"Captain! You too!?"

"I couldn't let them burn the whole base trying to make a cake."

"Armin! Make a wish! Blow the candles!", Sasha said.

"Shut up! Let him do it at his own pace you just want to start eating cake already!", Jean said to Sasha.

"Someone put the leash on Sasha! We don't want her to take the whole cake for herself!", Connie said.

"You guys...", Armin said still in shock.

"I don't know why you are so surprised, as I said you are the reason why all of us are here today.", Levi said.

"What do you mean?", Armin said confused.

Jean started talking, "First, two expeditions ago you were the one who figured out what the female Titan was, that information saved our asses."

Connie continued, "Also, you started working with Erwin giving input in important formation alignments, and in the end, it saved us too."

"You have saved more asses with your brain than me cutting up Titans napes. I am proud to have you on my squad brat!", Levi said.

At his words, Armin couldn't contain the tears and said, "Thank you guys... is nice to hear that..."

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.", Levi said dismissively, "I don't give compliments often so don't get used to it! Now, come here and blow those candles because I want some cake!"

Everyone laughed and Armin closed his eyes as he wished, _I wish to never lose them,_ he opened his eyes and blew the candles.

**\--------**

"So what do you want to talk about?", Eren asked Armin back in his room.

"I am okay now, the guys' words helped... What about you?", Armin asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting weird, care to fill me in?"

Eren sighed, "I just can't stop thinking about what could've happened if Mikasa died. I've never imagined a life without her. I think... I know, I have pushed her away but thinking about a life without her is almost unbearable. She told me how she felt before the Female Titan expedition, she said she loved me and I just rejected her and walked away... Now she is acting so different around me, I miss her..."

"You grew up used to the constant presence of Mikasa, nothing ever threatened her attention away from you. She was that constant figure in your life that you knew you could always count on, no matter what. No matter how much you pushed her away, or hurt her, she was always there, and even though she just told you about it a couple of months ago, you knew, deep down you knew that she loved you that way, and that, made you take her for granted.", Armin responded.

"I know, I'm so fucking stupid, I had to see her die to even think of the possibility of a future where she is not there.", Eren said frustrated.

"Eren, what type of friend do you want me to be right now, the type that agrees with you about everything or the type that tells you the truth even though it might hurt you?", Armin asked.

"What kind of question is that?! Of course, I want you to tell me the truth."

"Then, after I am finished you don't have the right to throw a tantrum at me or get mad at me, I am warning you.", Armin said with a serious tone.

Scared and confused Eren said, "Go on..."

Armin sighed and started talking, "I know Eren, I know about that night...", Erens' eyes shot open with surprise, as Armin continued, "I don't know if you remember but, back when we were trainees, my room was on the same hall as Mikasas'. That night I couldn't sleep, I guess I was anxious about the expedition we were going on the next day. I walked out of my room and saw Mikasa walking down the hall barefoot. It got me curious, so I followed her...", he sighed and continued, "She stopped by a tree and started crying, I thought she was anxious about the expedition and maybe she needed time alone, so I walked back to my room when I saw you sneaking out of hers, shirtless with your shirt on the hand, pants barely closed, and it was kind of obvious."

"She was crying!?"

"Yes, what did you do to her?!"

"Nothing! Is not like I forced her!"

"So you are saying that you didn't even give her even a little insinuation that you wanted her to have sex with you? That you at least asked if she wanted?"

"I... Uhhh..."

"She was so codependent of you since you saved her all those years ago that she always wanted to please you. Every whim, every wish she was there to make it happen. You made sure that she didn't felt obligated to please you that night?!"

Looking at Eren, he saw the frustration and guilt on his face, and he sighed.

Armin continued, "Look, she is strong and she loves you but she is also human, there is a limit to how much a person can take", he paused and continued, "Just, fix this, whatever that means, if fixing it means letting her go or fight for her, just fix it, I would hate to be in the middle of a fight between my two best friends. I will not choose a side, so this doesn't only affect you, if you don't fix this, we will all end up alone."

Eren sighed holding the tears of guilt in his eyes and said, "Armin... I might be a titan shifter, and Mikasa might be worth a hundred soldiers, but you, you keep us grounded. You have the wisdom of a thousand men, you are the best from all of us. We would probably be dead long ago if it weren't for you... Thank You...", he stood up and left the room.

**\------The next day---------**

Knock. Knock.

"Leviiii"

"What do you want shitty glasses!", Levi said.

Hanji opened the door to his office and let herself in "I take that as a 'yes come in'"

"Tsc... what do you want?"

"Yesterday was the first expedition we had with zero casualties!!", Hanji exclaimed jumping from excitement.

He suddenly realized that he didn't even notice it. He was so angry at Mikasa's actions that he totally overlooked the fact that, for the first time since he has been in the Survey Corps, everyone returned alive from an expedition. No dead bodies or body parts to bring back, no grievance, all had made it back alive.

"So..." Hanji continued, "after discussing it with Erwin, I decided that we should do a celebration for the team. Something simple, to boost the morale since we finally have a win after all these years of loss."

"But the mission wasn't a success and I almost ended up as Titans' poop alongside Mikasa", Levi said confused.

"That's where you are wrong, you see after you guys killed those three abnormals, the path to the outside post has been cleared. It turns out, those abnormals were the ones attracting all the other regular ones to that area.", Hanji explained.

"I can't believe that we finally had luck on a mission."

"So, I think the team deserves the celebration!"

"Sounds reasonable"

"So the celebration will be tonight in the mess hall. Drinks are on Pixis!"

Giving Hanji an incredulous look, Levi said, "Dot Pixis, the Highest Ranking Commander of the Southern Territory, willingly agreed to share his precious alcohol?!"

"Well, he doesn't know it yet, but we already took it", Hanji answered with a devilish smile.

"As long as my name is out of whatever plan you pulled to do that, I don't have a problem. Anything else?"

"Well..."

"Spit it out I don't have all day"

"Are you going?"

"Where?"

"To the celebration!"

"No."

"Levi... " Hanji approached with true concern for his friend. Even though Levi was the book definition of a dick, he and Erwin were her oldest comrades who were still alive. They've shared losses, grief, pain, together and even though he doesn't show it, she knows that he also considers her his friend, sometimes reaching out to her when the need to vent overwhelms his pride.

"Don't"

"I am worried about you! Ever since..." – she couldn't continue with the weight of the rest of the words that carried her sentence. _Ever since you lost everyone from your last crew._ Hanji knew Levi, and she knew that he blamed himself for it, even though she had tried to make him understand that there was nothing he could've done, she knows, that deep down he will never stop blaming himself for it.

"Hanji... is too soon..."

"Well, the least I can do is give you a few bottles of Pixis stol- I mean, donated cargo."

"Now, we are talking about business."

**\--------**

"A party!?", Sasha exclaimed.

"Yeah, Hanji told me about it today while she was doing some experiments.", Eren replied.

"Have the experiments gotten less painful on you?", Mikasa asked Eren.

"I guess, you kind of get used to it, today I told her about one of my theories and she seemed interested"

"Really! About what?", Armin asked with curiosity booming from his eyes.

"Well, I have a theory, we all know that being a titan shifter gives you some strengths, abilities, and improvements in your body" Eren started, earning the curiosity of everyone in the group, "Well" he continued, "Maybe it also improves the brain."

At his last statement, everyone rolled their eyes making a unified groan of disappointment.

"Eren, not this again!", Connie said.

"Being a titan shifter doesn't make you smarter!", Jean shouted.

"Of course it does! Transformation gives me a bigger brain!", Eren responded.

"What's the point of bigger if you don't know how to use it?!", Jean said.

"Your mom never complained.", Eren replied teasingly with a wide grin.

"What did you just say?!", Jean shouted as everyone was bracing themselves for another, usually common, fight between them.

Just when Jean was about to punch Eren in the face, a sudden scream was heard, freezing everyone in the mess hall. Everyone looked at the direction it came.

Hanji entered running to the mess hall screaming "Move! He is gonna get me!" while pushing aside any cadet that stood in her way. "He is angry! Run!", she yelled while she got out of the mess hall from the back door.

Everyone stood still not knowing what was happening until another scream came from the same direction where Hanji arrived.

"HANJIIII I AM GONNA MAKE TITAN POOP OUT OF YOU!!", Levi screamed running through the mess hall, shirtless, with a piece of cloth that looked like a shirt rolled into a ball in his hand.

"WHERE IS SHE?!", he asked and everyone just stared at him in shock.

"WHERE. IS. SHE!"

His angry eyes scanning the room stopped at the most scared cadet at that moment. "YOU! IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE TELL ME WHERE SHE WENT!"

The trembling soldier responded "Sir... Uhm... Captain.. she got out from the back door!"

As soon as he said that, Hanji screamed from the back "YOU LITTLE RAT!", and she started to run away again.

Levi gave the cadet an evil smile and ran after her while mumbling "I will make you eat it".

After an awkward moment of silence, that seemed like an eternity, someone started laughing from one of the tables at the corner.

Everyone looked at the person who was laughing to find a very amused Erwin Smith almost crying with laughter and saying "I guess some things will never change." which made the cadets relax at the realization that there was no danger to be afraid of, at least, for them, Hanji,   
well...

"What was that about?!", asked Sasha with the same confused face that everyone had.

"What do you think could've happened that ended up with the Captain, shirtless, running around screaming like an angry maniac?", Jean asked.

"Well, noting that the person he was angry at was Hanji, I would say the answer lies in the realm of everything is possible", Armin said.

"Maybe she tried one of her crazy experiments on him", Eren said with a shrug.

"As long as it doesn't make him angrier than what he already is towards us I don't mind", Sasha said while stuffing a piece of bread from Jean's plate into her mouth.

"Is that even possible?", Mikasa asked making everyone laugh.

**\------------**

Back at her dorm, Mikasa stared at her clothes deciding what to wear for the celebration. Her thoughts had been drifting all day to the last conversation she had with Levi...

_"you are not reliable"_

_"you are a liability"_

_"If you can't control something as basic as human emotions, then you are no different from an animal!"_

_"You are holding him back!"_

The sound of someone knocking at her door brought her back to reality.

"Mikasa! Are you ready?!", Sasha said.

"Come on in!", Mikasa replied.

Sasha entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"You are not even dressed yet!", Sasha exclaimed.

"I don't even know if I want to go."

"What's the problem? Talk!", Sasha said as she jumped to her bed.

"I can't stop thinking about the last conversation with the Captain."

"The one where he insulted the shit out of you and ended up calling you an animal?", Sasha asked her.

"It didn't even bother me the insults...", Mikasa said and sighed, "Worst than being slapped on the face with the truth is that the person that slapped you is someone you hate."

"Well, I heard there would be alcohol at the party so, that might be just what you need right now."

"Do you think? I've never been drunk, I guess I never even tried before."

"What! I will make sure that you get wasted tonight! You will forget all about Levi in no time!"

"I guess it doesn't hurt to try."

As they walked to leave for the party Sasha said, "Well, at least there is a part of him worth remembering, did you see those abs!?"

Mikasa rolled her eyes and said, "Sasha! Let's just go!"

Sasha chuckled and said, "I know you saw them too!"

**\----------At the party--------**

"Who do you think will end up doing the walk of shame tomorrow?", Connie asked Jean.

"Probably Sasha.", Jean replied.

"Speaking of the devil look who just arrived!", Connie said.

"Is she with Mikasa!?", Jean exclaimed.

"It seems like it, do you want me to pull Sasha away so you can have a conversation with her and finally tell her how you feel?"

"It didn't go well last time."

"Oh! You mean that morning you sat down with her during breakfast and just went completely awkward and didn't said a thing?", Connie sighed, "Look, maybe alcohol will help you talk tonight."

**\--Time skip after a couple of glasses of rum--**

"Everything is moving Sasha! Is this normal?", Mikasa said.

"That's part of the fun!", Sasha said.

Suddenly, Jean stood on a table and screamed, "Mikasaaa! I want you to have my babies!"

"What did you just say!?", Eren screamed at him.

"Oh there's Eren I haven't seen him since Armin's bday last night.", Mikasa said.

"You totally ignored what Jean said right?", Sasha said.

"What did he said?"

Sasha rolled her eyes and laughed.

Mikasa walked to where Eren was fighting Jean, as usual.

"Eren let him go!", Armin said.

"Eren are you alright?", Mikasa asked him.

Eren looked at Mikasa and just walked away.

"Armin, what is wrong with him?"

"Just, I'll take care of it, you just, have fun.", Armin said.

Mikasa looked back to were Sasha was and saw her dancing with Connie, Jean was wasted on the floor, and everyone else seemed to be having a good time with each other. She sighed, as she saw one of the bottles of rum at the table of the punch, she walked to it, grabbed it, and left the party.

"I told you to fix things not to ignore her!", Armin said to Eren.

"I just... With everything you told me last night, I don't even know how to react around her! I need to figure this out!", Eren said.

Armin looked at the room and watched Mikasa leaving, "Great! She just left, you probably pissed her off again. Great job fixing things!", he said to Eren with a sarcastic tone.

**\-----------**

**Levi** **P.O.V**.

I was walking through the empty open yard, lost in thought when I saw her, she was crying, sitting on the floor, alone, with a bottle of rum. S _o she is the type of person that cries when drunk? How annoying._

Approaching her I said, "Oi! I didn't know demons could cry"

She gave me a warning stare but said nothing.

I kept pushing, "What are you doing out past curfew time, go to your room now if you don't want more extra chores, Brat!"

She didn't even look at me and kept silent. 

_Great, now I will have to also be a psychologist with these brats_

**Author P.O.V.**

She didn't move, ignoring Levi and his gaze, and giving another sip to the rum straight from the bottle.

He sighed defeated, sat next to her, and said, "What happened? Did your good for nothing boyfriend finally found how annoying you are and left?"

Without looking at him Mikasa replied, "I am not in the mood for your senseless crap, so I would appreciate if you left me alone."

He replied, "You must definitely be drunk to talk to me like that." while reaching to grab the bottle of rum to take it away from her.

She gripped the bottle harder to prevent him from taking it and she shouted, "Don't you dare take it away from me!"

Levi just pulled the bottle harder. Mikasa, without losing her grip, threw a punch to his face but ended failing miserably.

"You are definitely drunk if you miss my face even though I am not moving at all.", he said teasingly.

"Because you are so sober, right?", she responded.

"More than you, yes"

"Wanna bet?"

"Excuse me?"

"Fight me!"

Levi looked at her confused and said, "You know that to fight drunken style you don't actually have to be drunk, right?"

"What! Are you scared that I would beat your ass?"

He stared at her defiant eyes and stood up, finding his balance in his drunk state and replied, "Bring it! While we are at it, you can tell me what the fuck is going on with you!"

She stood up in front of him, ready to attack. She threw a punch and nearly missed him, Levi moved to avoid it messing his balance but recovering quickly, _damn I really am drunk,_ he thought. Throwing more punches and moving around she started talking,

"I failed to protect my father", she said while she tried to throw a kick without losing much balance but Levi avoided it.

"I failed to protect my mother", she threw an uppercut.

"Life gave me a second chance of a family", she threw two consecutive punches,

"...and I failed to protect them too..."

Kick. Punch.

"...now, the only family that I have left..."

Punch. Punch. Kick.

"is either avoiding me or treating me like shit!"

Punch...

"I can't stop the nightmares..."

Kick...

"..of watching them die, over and over again..."

Uppercut...

"I just want a moment of peace, a moment where I can just forget..."

Levi moved from a defensive stance to an attacking one, he swooped her legs, threw her to the floor, and pinned her down. Then, he noticed that she stopped fighting. He stared at her and said, "Alcohol is the worst idea if what you want is just to forget".

 _Why is the floor moving? Is she moving, shit I am so drunk,_ he thought.

"Listen, brat, I also have recurring nightmares about watching people die, there is no way around that, I still don't know if there is a way to forget about it, even if it's just for a moment."

He closed their distance, placed his forehead against hers, and close his eyes, "If someday, you find a way, let me know... but for now... we can only try..." He opened his eyes and looked at her, he didn't realize how close they were until now, "I've tried many things..." he moved his eyes to her lips, "...and I just realized... that there is still one thing that I haven't tried yet..."

Staring at him and unconsciously licking her lips she whispered, "...which is?"

He closed the distance between them and kissed her on the lips, Mikasa moved her arms to wrap them around the back of his neck and kissed him back. Their kisses started slow, and a warm feeling was taking control of them making them kiss more passionate. He picked her up and pinned her against the nearest wall tightening his grip around her waist.

He stopped kissing her to start kissing her neck, and between kissing and soft bites he told her "If you want me to stop, say it!"

She ran her fingers through his head and pushed her hips forward to feel him, making him groan, then she whispered to his ear, "Don't you fucking dare to stop, make me forget!".

He ground against her hips and said: "I'll make you forget that he even exists".

Then, he picked her legs up and wrapped them around his waist while she held on to him with her arms around his neck he started walking her to his office.

He slammed open his office door and pinned her to the wall, while she started kissing his neck, he closed the door. Breathing heavily, Mikasa bit his lower lip causing him to bleed, and pushed him away.

He stared at her, cleaned the blood with his hand, and looked at it raising a brow.

She said, "This doesn't change the fact that I hate you." while staring at him with a smirk.

He pushed her back against the wall, restraining both of her wrists up against it with one hand, and tightening the grip around her waist with the other. He kicked her legs open and placed himself in the middle while he whispered to her ear, "Trust me..." then pushing his hips against hers harder so she could feel his entire hardened length "I fucking hate you more." At his words, she let out a moan that made him grind against her harder. She started kissing and biting his neck while he extended his hand to the door to put the lock on.


	5. Shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this story Mikasa and Levi are more or less the same height. My story, my rules :)

**Author** **P.O.V.**

The sun was already out, a beautiful sunny day had already started. The sun rays crept into the windows with a promise of sunshine and beauty when...

"Turn off the fucking light!", Levi groaned in protest.

"You can't turn off the sun", Mikasa responded in a sleepy voice with her eyes closed.

Levi shot open his eyes and jumped out of the bed, in shock.

"What the fuck are you doing on my bed cadet!?"

Mikasa groaned and whispered "Too loud...", while she slowly sat down rubbing her eyes mumbling nonsense to herself.

Her eyes started adapting to the light and she realized...

"THIS IS NOT MY DORM!!"

"OH REALLY? I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!", Levi said with a heavily sarcastic tone.

Mikasa's eyes shot open with panic when she looked at her Captain staring back at her, she started looking around as confusion and panic started to creep in when she shouted, "Why I am in your room!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME YOU PERV!?"

"LOOK! I don't know what the fuck happened last night! But one thing I am sure of, BRATS ARE NOT MY TYPE!", he started pacing around trying to remember what happened over the overwhelming headache and nausea he had, caused by a glorious hangover, "You are messing with me right!? You broke into my room last night to make me think that something happened and blackmail me into not giving you more chores! Is that it!? Is that what you did?!"

"I don't remember what the fuck happened! You are trying to turn this against me?! Which one is more believable? A young innocent cadet breaking into the room of her old, short Captain, or a perv Captain that took advantage of his innocent young and beautiful cadet while she was drunk!"

"You little piece of sh-"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

At the sound of the door knock, he jumped on top of Mikasa to cover her mouth.

"Levi are you there?", Hanji said.

He signaled Mikasa with his finger over his closed lips to stay quiet and she nodded.

"Levi I know you are in there, I brought you tea!"

Mikasa started to panic about being discovered there.

"Are you still mad at me?", Hanji said.

"Fuck", Levi whispered.

**\--- FlashBack---**

"So, where is that precious cargo?", Levi asked.

"At the backdoor closet, go and take whatever bottle you like best.", Hanji said.

Levi walked to the closet, which was more like a secret room, to see Pixis "donated" cargo. "By the way! I want to show you something!", Hanji said at the other side of the door.

"If it's more Titan weird experiments kind of crap I am not interested!", he shouted back.

Hanji was organizing her collected samples of the day, walking through her messy office evading the piles of papers, and laboratory equipment she had spread around the floor.

"What is that smell?", Levi shouted.

"I am organizing the samples I collected today!", Hanji responded excitedly.

"I knew that smell couldn't be human!"

Levi grabbed two bottles and headed to open the door of the closet back to her office.

Hanji started struggling with her balance trying to avoid all the mess she had on the floor when Levi opened the door making her lose her balance resulting in her throwing the samples...

straight...

to his...

shirt...

She managed to avoid the fall by grabbing on to dear life to her desk. When she moved her gaze to Levi she found... A very angry Levi giving her a death stare with her samples splattered all over his shirt. She yelped at the visual.

"What is this shit!", Levi shouted angrily.

"Those are the stool samples I collected from Eren today!", she exclaimed in horror.

"So it is shit! Fucking, titan shifter shit!", Levi screamed.

"I'm... I'm...", she started to panic looking at Levi's face that was already turning red from rage.

Then, in a very unusual calm, creepy, and slow manner, Levi said, "Due to our years of friendship, I will give you a five-second head start to start running." while unbuttoning his shirt.

Hanji ran away from her office screaming in panic, "Help! Help! Levi is gonna kill me!"

He took his shirt off, rolled it in a ball on his hand, and while staring at it he said, "I will make her eat it." Then he started to run to catch her...

**\----End** **of FlashBack----**

"I swear it wasn't on purpose! It was an accident that Eren's stool sample ended up on your shirt! Are you going to keep ignoring me!?", she shouted at his door.

"Shit", he murmured.

"Literally it seems.", Mikasa whispered while Levi gave her a death stare.

"Oh well, you can't ignore me forever, I will come back later then.", Hanji said and left.

They waited a couple of minutes to make sure she was gone while dressing and praying to the holy trinity walls, that somehow, they manage to sneak out of the room without anyone noticing.

"I will go check if there is someone outside, I will let you know when the coast is clear so you can sneak out", Levi said.

Mikasa nodded.

He started walking to the door when he suddenly stopped and faced her...

"And I think I don't have to reiterate that, THIS. NEVER. HAPPENED.", he said enunciating every word with the same strength and seriousness.

"I don't know what you are talking about", Mikasa responded staring at the door emotionless.

"And before you leave, just because I'm your Captain doesn't mean that I'm old, and we are the same height!"

"What! Did it hurt your ego so much that you had to clarify?"

"Just... I will go check if the coast is clear, wait for my signal."

While he went to the door to look outside she thought of what he just said to her. The Captain looked ridiculously young for his position, but always showed the experience of an old man. _Is he a fucking vampire or something? , s_ he thought. She noticed it since the first day she saw him, maybe that's one of the reasons that annoyed her about following orders when he looked like someone her age. She snapped back to reality when he flicked his fingers signaling that is okay to go.

He opened the door and she sneaked out.

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

Walking through the halls I managed to pass undetected, only a few cadets were around. Heading to the main door of the building I managed to slip out, to an open field area. The sun instantly appeared high in the sky, worsening my now throbbing headache.

_TOO. FUCKING. BRIGHT._

Walking to my dorm I was relieved that at least nobody had seen me yet during this walk of shame, until...

**giggles**

Panic took over me, I recognized those voices that grew closer by the second.

_What do I do? Where do I hide?_

I instantly started looking at my surroundings and my eyes stopped at a bush nearby. I ran to it and jumped in just in time before Sasha and Connie appeared in full view. They were walking and talking about the party last night. They stopped right next to the bush I was hiding in.

 _Just my fucking luck..._ I thought.

"Did you see Jean hugging the floor last night?", giggling, Sasha asked Connie.

_I feel dizzy..._

"Do you think he would remember about it?", Connie asked.

_How long are they going to keep talking? Just go away! I'm sweating, I'm feeling sick, I just want my bed!..._

"Well if he doesn't, surely Eren will remind him! I am sure he does remember everything, his alcohol resistance is ridiculous. I wonder if it has something to do with being a Titan shifter?", Sasha said.

_Fuck, shit, hold it. HOLD IT!_

"If he doesn't I will!", Connie said laughing.

My stomach was turning around and I couldn't hold nausea. I ended up puking and groaning but it sounded more on the lines of a fucking goat being strangled to death.

_Of course, because waking up next to the arrogant ass of the Captain, sneaking out of the building straight to the bright fire from the pits of hell of the glorious afternoon sun, and literally jumping into a fucking bush wasn't enough of suffering. Afternoon? Shit, is it really that late? What is this? Bird poop?_

"Oi! Who's there!?", Connie shouted.

_Well. Fuck._

**Connie P.O.V.**

I walked to the bush and found... a defeated Mikasa with dirt on her face leaves on her hair, vomit on her shirt, and _is that, bird poop?_

"Mikasa! Are you alright!?", Sasha shouted.

"Shhhh. TOO. LOUD.", she responded.

_I can't wait to tell Eren about this._

"What the hell happened to you!!?", I asked.

Sasha jumped in and said, "Did you blacked out and ended up sleeping in a bush after last night's party?!"

"Yeah sure, why not?", she replied.

I whispered to Sasha, "I don't think she's even coherent right now."

Sasha approached her and said, "Come I'll help you get to your room, you really need a bath!", she helped her stand up and walked her to her dorm.

_Mikasa Ackerman, drunk, sleeping in a bush, and here I thought I've seen it all._

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

After a good bath, feeling like a human again, I decided to grab something to eat, it was already late for lunch, but that also meant fewer people in the mess hall to bump in. Just as I opened the door of my room and stepped out...

"Hey Mikasa, where were you last night?", Eren asked walking with Armin towards me.

_Great... Just... great luck of mine._

"I... Uhh...", I said trying to give a coherent answer that doesn't include my walk of shame, when he cut me off.

"C'mon! Don't tell me you don't remember?!", Eren looked at me and suddenly started laughing. 

_What the hell is he talking about?_

"You are being too loud, my head still hurts", Armin said while rubbing his temples.

"Awww come on! You guys don't remember anything!?", Eren said with a wide mischievous smile that sent chills down my spine, knowing he probably saw something that I don't remember.

I saw Armin having the same reaction, and I whispered to him, "What did you do last night!?"

He whispered back, "I don't know! What did you do?"

"I don't know either!"

"Just, act like nothing happened if he saw us doing something embarrassing last night that we don't remember he would plan to use it as innocent blackmail in the future, probably to make us do his chores for him!"

"He will need evidence to prove his claims!"

"Exactly, say nothing, just play dumb.", Armin finished whispering.

Suddenly Christa approached them and said to me, "Mikasa! Sasha told me she doesn't remember seeing you arrive at your room last night, but again, nobody remembers much about last night either. Are you alright?"

 _Damm you Sasha!,_ I thought.

At that moment, Armin gave me a 'you-are-so-screwed-there's-a-witness' look.

I replied with a 'we-should-get-rid-of-any-evidence' one that resulted in him giving me a death stare followed by a 'we-are-not-killing-Christa' look.

Eren's laugh cut us off from our unspoken conversation, and he said to me, "Don't tell me you blacked out and ended up passed out in some random place!?"

 _Random would be an understatement,_ I thought.

I realized that I was blushing when he said, "I knew it! I would've paid to see the shock in your eyes when you woke up probably drooling on the floor! Don't tell me that it was a public place and people saw you?!"

_A half-truth won't hurt, besides, Sasha probably already told half of the Survey Corps already..._

"Yes! So what?! I bet I wasn't the only one, everyone was pretty wasted last night except you, I woke up inside of a fucking bush, Sasha and Connie found me. There, are you happy?! Now stop being so loud and have some empathy for your non-shifters friends hungover."

"A bush!", Armin and Eren exclaimed, when I spotted a familiar figure at the end of the hall walking towards us...

_No, no, no, no, no, could this day get any worse!_

Levi was walking in our direction, I started panicking, _he thought that I sneaked into his room somehow with some evil plan in mind, but now that I think about it, it sounds like something I would totally do especially drunk._ I started looking for a way to avoid him, he seemed that he had not seen us yet, he had his focus on a stack of papers in his hands. _I might be able to get away..._

"Mikasa! Where are you going!?", Eren said when I started walking faster leaving him behind.

_Damm you! Why do you have to be so loud!?_

Looking for a place to hide I saw a glorious symbol glowing like a gift from the walls, and I shouted "The bathroom! I need to go to the bathroom!", and ran towards the door with the bathroom sign and slammed it.

I heard Armin saying, "We will see you at the mess hall then!"

 **Levi** **P.O.V.**

I was walking down the hall with a new block of papers about the new Survey Corps budget and some other government bullshit that I had to force myself to read for the next meeting with Erwin and Hanji. My head was killing me when I heard some brats shouting down the hall "A bush!", _Why do they have to be so loud!_

The next thing I heard caught my attention, "Mikasa! Where are you going!?"

"The bathroom! I need to go to the bathroom!", her voice followed by the sound of a door slammed.

I lifted my gaze to the group, not so far away from me, the two cadets were staring at the bathroom door.

_Seems like she wasn't lying about her hangover._

"We will see you at the mess hall then!", said Armin.

I looked at the clock and thought, _Is very late for dinner. Was it her turn for stable duty today? Does she plan to skip it?_

I kept walking lost in thought, _she was probably so drunk last night that thought of pulling that little prank on me this morning, or did she sneaked at night and slept over? I doubt she would do something like that sober... I was probably passed out when she got in... I have to ask Hanji what Pixis puts in his alcohol I haven't had a hangover like this in years..._

"I don't know if she will want to eat after that", I heard Armin said.

"I still can't believe she slept inside a bush", Eren said.

_A bush?!_

**\-------**

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

I forgot I was on stable duty and when I remembered I was already late. I ran to the stables to start cleaning hoping to make up for the lost time. Stable duty is the worst, shoveling horse shit and cleaning the stable to the Captain germophobic standards was impossible _. I hope he doesn't come to supervise_.

I arrived, _good he's not here_ , I started shoveling the first mountain of horse shit that I found. _This will take forever_ , I thought, just when another horse decided to take a shit. _If I had arrived earlier I would probably be half done by now... I will never drink again, why do people even do that?! Hangover is not worth it, but waking up next to those really nice abs..._ I realized I spaced out when...

"Ackerman!", the voice of my personal short ripped demon brought me back to reality.

"Captain.", I responded.

"Why isn't the stable cleaned yet!"

"I'm working on that sir!"

"It looks like you just started cleaning, looking at the piles of shit that are still on the floor! I want this cleaned properly, you either arrived late or are slacking on the job", he said in a warning tone staring at me, "So which is it?"

_Fuck! I might get away lying._

"Sir, I've been cleaning for a while now it was way worse when I arrived.", I lied knowing that I had, technically, just arrived and hadn't cleaned anything at all.

I started looking at the floor praying to the walls that the Captain didn't notice me arriving at the stable just a little earlier, close to his arrival.

"I see", he replied lifting a brow and pulling out a napkin from his pocket.

Aware that he was still staring at me I started shoveling trying to look as natural as possible to sell the lie and avoiding his gaze I turned my back at him.

 _Will he just stay there judging my work? Fucking clean freak, he will probably do it again since nobody can reach his impossible standards?_ My thoughts stopped abruptly when I felt something hit my back, something soft but it had been thrown at me with fierce. I stopped shoveling and looked at the direction it came.

The captain was throwing the napkin to the thrash with his back at me and said, "Next time you lie to my face at least make some effort to make it believable, you didn't even smell like horse shit", he started walking out the stables when he suddenly stopped and glanced at me over his shoulder and said, "but now, you do." and left.

 _Did he just...?,_ I realized that he had just thrown a blob of horse shit to my back.

_I will kill him._

**\-------**

**Levi P.OV.**

"Well someone is in a good mood today? What poor cadet received the discharge of your wrath today?", Hanji said to me.

"Someone who had it coming for a while", I responded.

"That sounds intense, at least tell me that the cadet is still alive."

"Maybe, you could look for a dying brat on the Infirmary, check under the name of NONE OF YOUR DAMM BUSINESS."

Hanji rolled her eyes at my sarcasm and said, "I might do, knowing your temper I wouldn't be surprised to find more than one cadet in the Infirmary thanks to your unorthodox rage-induced discipline methods", then she smiled at me.

"Tsc, where is Erwin? I want to get this meeting over with, I don't want to spend more time than the absolute minimum in government bullshit policies."

"He should be here in a couple of minutes, did you finish reading the official documents?"

"Barely..."

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

_HORSE SHIT._

_FUCKING HORSE SHIT._

I was trying to get rid of the blob of shit that got stuck on the back of my shirt thanks to the psychotic clean freak of my Captain.

"Hey Mikasa!", Jean said.

I steadied myself and looked at him, he was avoiding my gaze and his face was turning red, _I wonder if he has a blood pressure problem..._

"Look, about what I said last night...", he said.

"What did you say last night?", I asked.

He looked at me confused and said, "Nevermind, do you need help?"

"Actually that would be great, if you can help me we can finish faster."

"Got somewhere to be?"

"Kind of, more like doing karma's deed"

Jean looked at me puzzled trying to get a clearer answer but I just ignored him and started shoveling quickly.

_I can't believe his arrogance, horse shit, really? Just when I thought he can't be more of a dick he just surprises me._

"Hey, Mikasa what is that on the back of your shirt?", Jean asked making my blood boil in anger.

_I.WILL. GET. HIM. BACK_

**Levis P.O.V**

"Are we done yet? We've been hours at this", I said.

Erwin gave a long sigh and stared at both of us, "Well, I think we covered enough for today, I will set up a follow-up meeting for tomorrow afternoon to finish this."

Hanji and I groaned in protest about the thought of another impending boredom-to-death meeting.

"Let's wrap up for today, Captain go get some rest, you need it. Hanji, I will walk you to your quarters", Erwin said.

"Such a gentleman", Hanji said winking.

I stood up as fast as I could to get out of that dammed office before he changed his mind.

**Author** **P.O.V.**

"Alright he is gone, show me what you have!", Erwin said to Hanji.

Hanji dropped a stack of papers on his desk, "I've gone through every possible theory, but I plan to do a test tomorrow to clear out some of them."

"So, are you going to tell him?", Erwin said.

"He won't even notice it."

"It won't be long until he figures it out."

**\---- FlashBack Celebration Night ----**

Hanji and Erwin were walking down the hall on their way to the open yard.

"Is this even Legal? I knew Pixis alcohol was strong, but this is on a whole other level.", Erwin said.

"Well, the cadets seemed to enjoy it."

"As long as they keep the celebration under control, we might survive the night."

Turning the corner of the hall, Erwin stiffened and quickly pushed Hanji back to the hall while covering her mouth. He signaled her with a finger on his closed lips to be quiet. Then he whispered, "Levi and Mikasa are making out around the corner?!"

Hanji whispered back, "What! Let me see! Let me see!"

She peeked around the corner and gasped at the sight.

She went back to Erwin and while jumping up and down in excitement she said, "Do you know what this means?!"

Erwin stared at her confused, then she said, "Ackerbabies!! We are going to have Ackerbabies!!"

"You are getting way ahead of yourself."

"But you saw them! It seemed intense!"

"I can't even picture him dating, and you already gave him babies!"

"I tried to trick him into a blind date once.", Hanji said.

"What?! Without him knowing?!", Erwin said.

"Otherwise he wouldn't do it! Besides, the girl really liked him."

"I doubt that went well.", Erwin said.

"You are right, his opening line was: 'Name and Purpose!', scaring her and she ran away crying, curiously, I've never seen her since then."

Erwin sighed, "That sounds like a normal day for Levi"

"Do you think that now we can test my Ackerman bond theories!", Hanji said jumping up and down.

"We should, we should also find a way to test it before Levi gets suspicious."

**\--- End of FlashBack---**

"I will try the test tomorrow and you will help me.", Hanji said and Erwin nodded.

**\--------**

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

After finishing my chores I went to my dorm to have a, well needed, bath. After cleaning away the horse shit smell, I threw away the smelly shirt, _I don't even want to try and clean it, I am too exhausted anyway._

I went to bed and stared at the ceiling thinking of all the excuses I already have planned for the Captain's confrontation about the little present I left for him at his office. In the end, he had no evidence that I was the culprit. But he will surely know it was me, _I wish I could see his face when he finds it._

_Captain... Last night... Alcohol..._

I shook my head trying to keep the questions of what the fuck happened last night from creeping their way through. _I need to sleep,_ I thought as I closed my eyes.

**Levi P.O.V.**

I arrived at my office door and noticed that it was already slightly open. I pushed it open and stepped in scanning the room.

_What's that smell?_

When I saw it, I already knew who the culprit was. Angry I yelled, "ACKERMAN! I AM GOING TO KILL HER!"

A blob of horse shit was splashed in the middle of my desk with a note that said:

' _Now u smell 2'_

Thinking of all the possible ways to get back at her, I started cleaning. _I think I will have to add a 'how to clean horse shit from your desk' section to the 'clean or die' manual..._

_I have no evidence to support a report, and I don't think Erwin would let pass that I threw horse shit to her back... I'll think of something..._

After cleaning it I sat down, spent from my usual relentless schedule with horse shit added as the cherry on top of the fucking day. The exhaustion crept up my body as I closed my eyes. _I should go to bed, sleeping in this chair would be the last thing my body needs._

I walked to my bed and sat on the corner, elbows pressed against my knees.

_Mikasa. Last night. Alcohol._

I pinched the bridge of my nose, _there is enough time tomorrow to figure out what the fuck happened_. I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes.

**Author** **P.O.V**

_Alcohol. Tears. The proximity of another body. Heat. Kisses. Lust._

_"Don't you fucking dare to stop, make me forget!"_

_"I will make you forget that he even exists."_

_Moans, grinding, groans,_ _bites_ _. The sound of the office door lock._

They woke up panting like the air was sucked up from their lungs, and a shot of electricity was coursing through their bodies. The memories of the night before flooded at once like a bolt of lightning.

After sitting on the side of the bed and going through the memories, Levi at his room in his office, and Mikasa in her dorm, said in unison:

"Well. Shit." 


	6. Bonds

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

I started pacing around my room going through the memories of that night.

_Don't you fucking dare to stop_

"I can't believe I said that, does he remember? Maybe? Should I..."

My thoughts raced with a million questions at the same time as I started breathing faster.

"What if he remembers? What does he think of me now? Why... How do I..."

Memories of that night running through my head over and over again.

"When did it get so hot in here? Am I... Sweating? I need water..."

I opened my door and walked to the Castle's kitchen, lost in thought I found a glass and filled it with water. When I turned to walk back to my room I suddenly found myself face to face with Eren, making me jump and yelp dropping drops of water to the floor.

"Are you... Ok?- he asked looking at me confused

I answered a little too quickly and with a, louder for my own taste, voice, "Yes, why? Of course!"

"You just... ever since we were kids I could never sneak up on you to scare you, you always knew... And now, I wasn't even trying to and you just jumped?! Are you sick or something? You seem very disoriented..."

_why would I be disoriented? Just because I joined this crap to kill an asshole that I am supposed to hate, got drunk, fucked him, forgot that I fucked him, remembered that I fucked him, still not knowing if he remembers that we fucked... A total normal_ _clusterfuck_ _..._

"I'm fine, very fine"- I responded, realizing that I had the fakest smile I could ever do on my face

Suddenly, I heard steps of someone else approaching the kitchen, and... _no no no no no_ Levi appears

He stood there for a moment, stared at me, and said, "Mika-, Ackerman, Yeager, go to your rooms its past curfew!"

Eren stiffened his posture and replied, "Yes! Sir!"

I just followed behind him using him as some sort of magic shield to avoid the Captain.

**Levi P.O.V.**

I saw them leave and waited for Yeager to be out of sight, and then I walked, a little too fast, to the door of her room and knocked.

She slightly opened the door trying to see who was outside.

"Let me in Mikasa we have to talk!"- I murmured

She murmured through the slightly open door. "You said no men in lady's room, follow your own rules!"

"Just because I make the rules don't mean that I have to follow them!", I sighed, "I remember, we need to talk..."

She opened the door with a shocked look on her face and let me in, closing the door behind.

She started pacing around her room with a glass of water in her hand.

"Look...", she said, "I remember alright, I literally just remembered..."

"I just remembered too, otherwise I would've come sooner to talk..."- I said by running my fingers over my head, and continued, "look... I just... I just need to clear things up, I don't want you to think that I took advantage of you or that I would use that somehow against you or something... I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me I would never do anything to you or use my position of power to-"

"I know", she cut me short, "You could be an arrogant ass but I have to admit that, outside of all of this military crap, you are a gentleman."

I looked at her amused and she noticed it and said, "What I mean is that you... You gave me the option you know!"

With a confused look, I said, "Is called asking for consent, and that shouldn't be a compliment, it should be expected from anyone."

She looked at me puzzled, "Did you... Don't tell me that...", I paused in frustration and as the realization kicked in, anger started to creep in my body, "Don't tell me that you didn't... I know this is not your first time, why are you so surprised at something that should be expected?"

"I just...", She said while she started pacing around the room, placing her glass to the corner of her nightstand, she continued, "I just didn't think about it alright! It felt nice to realize that I had a choice..."

"What! Of course, you had-"

She cut me short, "I know, you made me realize that... for the first time I felt that... I was in control and had a choice... It just, it felt nice... Safe. So, don't worry, I know you would never...", She sighed, "Look even though I can't stand your ass sometimes, I trust you... That's it."

"For the first time?", I asked gritting my teeth trying to hold my anger

"Look, yes, you are not my first, I've only done this once before and it felt more like it was something expected from me, that's it, is not like I was forced or anything."

"Not physically forced but forced indeed!"- I replied clenching my fists when suddenly, an eerie feeling similar to static shock but subtler came from her direction making me jump to an attack position to mi right side at the same time as she did.

I saw the glass of water about to hit the floor followed by the crash sound when it hit. We stared, still on an attack position, to... An innocent glass of water that fell to the floor.

We both sighed, then a question escaped my mouth before I could stop it, "Was it Yeager?", I asked while picking up the glass from the floor.

"It... It was a very emotionally charged moment..."

"We go out on expeditions, watch people die, we live in an emotionally charged environment all the time...", I sighed, "I just don't want you to ever feel that way with me...", I said frustrated

She then gave me an evil smirk that confused the hell out of me, and said, "does that mean", she started, and at those words, I already knew I fucked up, "that is going to happen again?"

_so she feels like teasing now_

"It depends, did it work?", I said getting close to her

She looked at me confused and, wrapping my hands around her waist pulling her closer and whispering to her ear, I said, "Did you forget that he existed?"

She smirked at me, closing the distance between us until I could feel her warm breath she said, "Who?"

I started to get close to kiss her when...

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Does anyone here gives a damn about the curfew rules!", I whispered annoyed

Then another Knock, "Mikasa, are you alright? I heard a crash sound, I'm coming in." - Erens voice outside of the door

_fuck_

Mikasa opened her eyes in shock and signaled me to the closet and I ran in.

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

I ran to the door but he was already opening it, I looked where Levi was and he had already made it in.   
_That was fast, has he done this before?_

"So you are alive, that's a relief."- Eren said smiling

"What are you talking about?"

"You were so disoriented, I heard a crash, so I thought you could've fallen or something."- he said

I gave him a suspicious look and said, "you heard a crash? all the way down to the basement?"

"No, I went to my room, but I couldn't sleep so I went to the kitchen again down the hall. Are you okay? You look tense."

"I'm fine, don't worry, go to your room you don't want Le- the Captain to find you here, I don't want to hear another awkward speech."

"I just... Can we talk?"

"About what?"

Eren started pacing, "I... I need to fix this... Listen, just... Come here.", He pulled me close to him and hugged me.

"I'm sorry Mikasa, I'm sorry for all the times I've treated you like shit, or ignored you. I miss you, I miss us."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me show you, let me stay."

_What!_

"Stay? Like here? tonight? In my room? In my bed? Like together?!", I said in a panic tone

"Yes, don't worry I don't plan on doing anything stupid like last time, in fact, I don't plan to do anything at all, I just want to lay there with you. I want to show you that I can be there for you without expecting anything in return."

"Where is this coming from all of the sudden?", I asked, genuinely confused

He sighed and placed his forehead against mine, "Since I saw you die, I realized, that I see you more than just family..."

"I can't..."

"Let me show you that I can be better, for you."

"I can't, things have changed, I am not the same helpless girl from that night, and I don't want to be.", I said and I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth.

"But, you told me..."

"Yes, months ago, since then we've been in countless life or death situations, I was literally eaten by a Titan, it put things on perspective."

"So you don't feel that way anymore? Even though I know you've felt that way for years!?"

"You come here, out of nowhere, saying sorry, then that you feel something more, then asking to stay, at the same time, and you expect me to let you? I haven't even said if I forgive you or not in the first place!"

He sighed, "look I am not going to stop, I will make myself better every day just to show you that I can be worthy of you. I love you.", he gave me a kiss on the forehead and left. Leaving me confused with a mix of emotions that I didn't even know what to do with them.

Then I saw Levi leaning against the wall looking at me.

"You know that there is a 'Clean your filthy Closet' section in the 'Clean or die' manual right?!", he said

"You have this fucking ability to go from 'I am about to kiss you' to 'I am about to kill you' in an instant.", I said frustrated

He walked to me with his arms crossed over his chest and said, "I think... you have a lot to think about...", He sighed, and said "Have a good night, Mikasa.", he walked to the door and left.

And there I was, full of mixed emotions, glad that he came to clear things up showing that he cared, _or is that something to be expected?_ And the confession that I've been waiting my whole life from Eren...

One gave me ice all my life while the other melted everything with fire on one night...

**\-----------Next Morning-----------**

**Author** **P.O.V.**

They were having breakfast at the mess hall, Mikasa was seated with Eren at her right and an empty seating area at her left. The rest of the gang was either in front of her or next to Eren.

"Are you planning on eating something? You've been staring at your food for a while now.", Eren said

"If you don't want your breakfast I can have it.", Sasha said with a smile

"I was just lost in thought, I guess I haven't wake up entirely yet.", Mikasa responded

Eren leaned to her ear and whispered, "Is it because of what I told you last night?"

"No... I mean yes... I guess...", she answered

"I meant it.", he said

Mikasa stared at him as he placed his arm around her shoulders when Erwin, Hanji, and Levi entered the mess hall.

She started to feel anger, but oddly enough she knew that it wasn't her anger, it was anger directed to her, specifically to the arm around her shoulders, when she followed the direction where it came from, she saw Levi staring at her. When he changed his gaze to talk to Hanji the feeling disappeared instantly leaving her puzzled.

Hanji grabbed her breakfast fast and sat on the table right behind Mikasa while Erwin and Levi took their time talking while grabbing theirs.

"Here! Levi sit here!", Hanji said as she pointed to the spot next to her that was aligned with Mikasa.

He gave her a suspicious look and sat next to her, aligned back to back with Mikasa, Hanji at his right, and Erwin on the seat in front of them facing them where he could also see Mikasa's back.

"I am canceling today's budget meeting, this morning I received an amended version of it and I have to go through the changes first.", Erwin said

Hanji pushed to the side, her food tray, and placed a notebook and a pen on the table while listening to Erwin.

"Does this mean that we have to read another block of papers about government crap because they couldn't send us the correct version in the first place?", Levi said already annoyed

She starts to flick her pen while saying, "Did they give you a log with the document changes?", to Erwin

Flick. Flick. She keeps flicking her pen.

"No, it looks like an entirely new document, at least when I gave it a quick look this morning, it seemed that way, we will probably have to read the whole thing again.", Erwin answered

Flick. Flick.

"I hate this part of the job.", Levi said while his peripheral view catches the flicking pen.

Flick. Flick.

They start eating in silence.

Flick. Flick. Flick.

Levi starts getting annoyed by the flicking pen to his right in Hanjis' hand.

Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick.

"Do you have plans today? We have the rest of the morning free, we can go wherever you like.", Eren asked Mikasa

"I don't have any plans so far, we could tell Armin too I'm sure he doesn't have plans either.", Mikasa responded

"I just wanted to spend some time with you alone.", Eren said

"Oh! I guess, we could do something...", she replied

Suddenly, she started feeling the little hairs of her neck starting to pull up. She takes Erens' arm away from her shoulders and starts rubbing the back of her neck.

"Are you okay?", Eren asked

"Yes, just some weird feeling at the back of my neck.", she replied

Then, she started feeling the same anger she felt when Levi arrived but it wasn't directed to her. It wasn't her anger, she was receiving it from a source behind her and it was directed at something to her left. The anger was mixed with annoyance and it wasn't as strong as before but sharper, painfully sharper to her left. She just wanted it to stop.

Both Levi and Mikasa raised their arm as quick as a bolt of lightning, Mikasa her left arm, Levi his right, extending it away with fury resulting in, Levi grabbing the pen Hanji was flicking, and Mikasa, grabbing... nothing, just the air.

"Can you stop flicking that stupid pen! Is getting on my nerves!", Levi said in a loud tone to Hanji.

"Mikasa are you alright?!", Eren asked her

She realized that she had spaced out, all other sounds were muffled until now and she was still staring at her left, puzzled. She looked at Eren at her right confused.

Erwin nodded to Hanji and she yelped in excitement, and just when Mikasa was going to reply to Eren, Erwin stood up and said in a very loud voice, "Captain Levi, and Mikasa Ackerman! I want to see you in my office now!", and he stood up to walk away and Hanji followed.

They both knew they were seated back to back, so they both rolled on their seat bench in the opposite direction at the same time, forearms over their thighs, close to their knees, posture bent slightly forward, knees almost touching.

"What did you do?!", Levi asked Mikasa with a suspicious look.

"I could've asked you the same question.", she replied

They both changed their posture resting their backs against the table, sliding their knees slightly forward, knees touching now. They crossed their arms over the chest and raised a brow without breaking eye contact, in what it looked like a death stare contest.

"What is going on here?", Eren asked annoyed

They both looked at Eren and said in unison, "Nothing!"

Erwin arrived at the entrance of the mess hall and looked backward to find Mikasa and Levi still seated staring at each other, he yelled then, "I said NOW!", breaking their staring spell.

They stood up and started walking to Erwin's office behind him. Levi leaned to her ear and whispered, "Did anyone saw you leaving my room yesterday?"

She whispered back, "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?! You had one job! Sneak out! That's it, one job!"

"It's easy for you because you were already in your room! I had to run, hide, and even jump into a fucking bush to hide! Next time we use my room!"

His stance suddenly changed from annoyed to interested, and he said, "Next time?" while raising a brow.

"Are you guys just going to stand there?", Erwin said opening the door to his office that they didn't even realize they had arrived.

They entered the office and sat down, Hanji was already on a chair next to Erwins' desk looking at their direction.

"Can you tell me why the hell you started screaming out of nowhere in the mess hall right now?!", Levi asked Erwin

"Oh! The tone was only to scare you.", Erwin replied with an evil smile.

Levi looked at him confused and he explained, "You see, you will be paying for the rest of your life for not telling me you were alive when you arrived on your last expedition."

"Is that what this is about?", Levi asked

"No, I just needed to get it out of my system.", Erwin said

Erwin then nodded to Hanji and she started talking, "The Ackerman bond!"

Levi and Mikasa groaned frustrated, "Not this again...", Mikasa said

"Hear me out, before you protest. You two had already awoken the individual surge power of the Ackerman clan when you were kids. Now, Levi, do you care to remind us how you saved Mikasa on the last expedition?", she said

"I already gave my report to Erwin.", He said dryly

"I know, but walk us through it, especially the part on how you saved her.", Hanji responded

Levi sighed, "I jumped into the Titans mouth, found her, and cut our way out from the inside, leaving the beast from the nape killing it at the moment."

"What!? The thing didn't puke us out!?", Mikasa exclaimed surprised

Levi looked at her in disbelief.

Then she said, "But that is impossible, it would've regenerated almost as fast as you cut!"

"Exactly! There is a second power surge, this surge needs more than one Ackerman and it transfers the individual surge to the other subject activating its own individual surge making it twice as powerful, this is also activated on life or death situations.", Hanji said excitedly

"Where are you going with this?", Levi asked annoyed

"You told Erwin you thought you were going to die, and suddenly started cutting at an inhuman speed.", Hanji said

"Yes, it could've been the individual power surge.", Levi said

"So you are telling me, you didn't felt the power surge coming from Mikasa's body?", She asked him suspiciously

Levi was lost in thought remembering the events and responded, "Yes, it felt that it came from her body but she was unconscious."

"It doesn't matter, she was alive, and she is still an Ackerman conscious or not.", Hanji said

Mikasa was looking at them confused, "So, what does this mean?"

"There is a theory, that subjects that had experienced this power transfer can activate a bond between each other, but there is not much information on how to actually activate it.", Hanji explained

"So, we don't know how to activate it meaning we are back to where we started, making me ask myself, why the hell are we having this meeting in the first place?!", Levi said annoyed

"Because you two already activated it!", Hanji almost shouted

"What!?", They both exclaimed confused.

Erwin started talking, "Right now, at the mess hall, we tested it. You two are connected.", watching their confused faces he continued, "when Hanji was flicking her pen, Levi moved his hand to stop her at the same time that Mikasa moved hers to the same direction at the same speed, but of course, she didn't grab anything since her left side was empty."

"So, you are basing all of this on a random hand movement at the mess hall?", Levi asked incredulously

"Why don't you tell us what happened Mikasa?", Erwin asked looking at her.

Her face was already blushing red when she said, "You are right, the bond or whatever it is, is there or at least something similar, I guess."

"What?!", Levi looked at her confused

"When I moved my hand I was feeling an anger and annoyance that I knew, wasn't mine, I was receiving it from a source behind me and it was directed sharply to my left like something was there that was driving me crazy, but, as you said, there was nothing there.", She explained.

Levi looked at her puzzled then he redirected his gaze to Hanji and said, "Hanji, don't tell me she can read my mind."

"That is one of the theories, I need to run some tests to see which one is correct.", she explained

"Don't go poking on us! We don't regenerate if you start cutting limbs like a crazy maniac!", Levi shouted

"The experiments would be non-invasive, maybe some blood samples, but that's it.", Hanji said

"How did you know that we had a bond or whatever this is?", Mikasa asked curiously

Hanji and Erwin looked at each other and smiled devilishly, and Erwin talked, "Well, there is a theory that, when personalities are similar, the bond can be activated just by having sexual intercourse."

"What?!", They both shouted

Erwin pushing the subject said, "So, you tell me?", looking at Levi

Mikasa was almost hiding her entire face behind her scarf while Levi stared at Erwin suspiciously and said, "You saw us. I know you, you wouldn't even ask such a thing if you didn't already know it was true."

Mikasa opened her eyes in shock and shouted, "Levi!"

Levi looked at her and told her, "Trust me, he already knew."

Hanji was jumping up and down excited, while Erwin said, "You are right, and shame on you Captain for doing such things in public places, you should be glad that the ones who saw you were us, otherwise, it would be public knowledge for all Survey Corps.", he sighed, "We will start the experiments of the bond right away, if anyone asks, say it got activated when Levi saved Mikasa, sounds reasonable enough to be believable, and next time, do that sort of thing privately.", He stared at them, Mikasa the same color as her scarf, Levi looking at him suspiciously, and he finished, "Meet with Hanji at her laboratory in an hour. You are dismissed."

Mikasa almost ran to leave the office as fast as she could while Levi just asked, "So are we having the budget meeting, or is that something you came up with, at breakfast, just annoy me more?"

"Sadly, what I said is true, the meeting for today is canceled until I go through the changes of the document.", Erwin said

Levi just nodded and left as if nothing happened.

As soon as he left the office Hanji and Erwin snorted laughing and Erwin said, "That went better than expected."

**\-----------**

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

I ran as fast as I could from Erwin's office to my dorm. Still trying to process what just happened, _how could he stay so calm?! Has he been caught before doing this sort of thing?._ I started pacing around my room, _would Erwin and Hanji tell someone? No, he gave us a lie we can say instead, it means he plans to keep it quiet. What the hell is this bond thing anyway?_ I started rubbing my arms, and I sat by the corner of the bed thinking about what types of tests Hanji could be planning when...

Knock. Knock.

"Mikasa...", Eren was knocking at my door.

I tried to compose myself and I opened the door.

"Are you alright?", Eren asked

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?", I answered

"Well, the way the Commander called you, and the Captain seemed urgent. What was that about?", Eren asked

_He will know eventually so I might as well tell him now, at least, half the truth..._

"Hanji just wanted to talk about the Ackerman lineage and asked us questions looking for similarities between us.", I half explained

"Is she still hung up on that!?", He sighed, "anyways, about what we were talking about, where do you want to go?"

"Oh, about that, Hanji wants to run some tests for her crazy theories at her lab soon, I have to meet her there."

He looked at me suspiciously and said, "I will walk you to it then."

"You don't need-", I said when he cut me short.

"It wasn't a question.", he said in a serious tone and walked to the door and opened it for us to leave.

_Shit, Hanji will probably start talking so I might as well tell him._

While walking to Hanjis' laboratory I told him, "Oh, so she also thinks we have some sort of weird magic bond. Apparently, it was activated when he saved me from inside that Titan."

He stopped and stared at me seriously and asked, "What type of bond?"

"That's one of the things she wants to test, is a weird feeling, I can't explain it."

Annoyed he said, "Alright, I will ask Hanji then."

**\------**

**Levi** **P.O.V**.

I arrived at Hanjis' laboratory first. Hanji was running around like a crazy maniac with stacks of papers that some of them were flying away around the, already messy, office of hers.

"You know there is a 'Clean your laboratory you crazy scientist' in the 'Clean or die' manual made specifically for you, right?", I said annoyed.

"It's an ecosystem, I don't want to disturb it.", she responded

"So, what crazy plan do you have in that head of yours to test this hypothetical bond?", I asked

"I have many, we should start with simple ones just to discard theories until we get the correct one, or until I make my own theory.", She said excitedly while Yeager and Mikasa arrived.

_Of course, she had to bring him_

"It sounds like we are going to be here for the rest of our lives, we also have to kill Titans you know.", I said to Hanji

"That is correct! You and Mikasa will be spending most of your free time and experimental time together.", Hanji said

It seemed like Yeager heard her because he was clenching his fists... _this_ _is interesting._

"So Hanji, what is all this bond experiments nonsense that I've been hearing about?", asked Yeager

"That is what we are going to figure out. Mikasa, come here.", Hanji said pointing at the floor to a spot in front of me.

Yeager just looked at us leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Hanji looked at me and asked, "So, how many times have you felt something coming from Mikasa to you?"

Lost in thought it came to my mind the glass of water that fell in her room. _But if I say that with Yeager listening it will be a problem,_ I responded, "Apart from that time inside the Titan, I haven't felt anything."

She then looked at Mikasa and said, "And you?"

"I think, twice? I am not sure.", She said

_What the hell is she talking about?_

"Elaborate", Hanji said

"The flicking pen was one, but, when he arrived at the mess hall, I felt a weird feeling... Anger? I guess, directed at me. When I looked where it was coming from it's when I saw him.", She explained

I was thinking about what the hell I was doing when I arrived at the mess hall this morning when I remembered, _Erens' arm over her shoulders..._ "Tsc"

I realized I spaced out when Mikasa said, "You are doing it again."

"Doing what!?", I asked annoyed

"Irradiating hate or anger, I don't know!", she said frustrated, then she looked at Hanji, "Am I going to be feeling all of his rage modes?! I don't want to turn into a grumpy old lady!"

I gave her a death stare.

Hanji said, "hm, so far I noticed that it seems like one factor might be proximity, every time you've felt something he has been, at least, in visual range. What you have sensed so far is anger... interesting. Do you have a memory of something that could cause a strong emotion directed to him?"

Mikasa thought for a second and said, "I guess when he beat Eren at court."

_Will you ever get over that?! You beat the shit out of him just the other day! He has that type of face that you just want to punch, is not my fault!_

"So let's try something, I need you two, to get closer", Hanji said, "I want you to be forehead against forehead."

I noticed she stiffened and Yeager said, "Is that really necessary?!"

"I am the scientist here, don't interrupt my experiment.", Hanji said to him

I noticed Mikasa second-guessing whether she should get close or not, while Yeager was throwing daggers at me with his eyes.

_This will be fun._

I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer while she let out a gasp in surprise, "Here brat my forehead is here", I said as I placed my forehead against hers, and I never released my hold on her waist.

"Good, now both of you close your eyes and concentrate on the other, Mikasa, think of that day at the court, how you felt, focus on that and Levi in front of you.", Hanji said

We stayed still there like a minute and I said, "Did you went to sleep brat? Because I am not feeling anything!"

She sighed in frustration and said, "Hanji, I am really trying, I don't think this thing works both ways."

"Hm, let's try again, think of any memory with him that might cause a strong reaction.", Hanji said

We placed our foreheads together again, and for a moment I didn't felt a thing, I was started to get frustrated when suddenly, I started to feel something similar to a low electrical current coming from her forehead into mine. _This is interesting_ , then a warmth that moved through my forehead, then, to my neck, running down my chest, going lower to my...

"Mikasa, what the-!", I yelled as I dropped myself to the floor to sit as fast as I could to hide the unexpected erection that, whatever the hell she transmitted to me, gave me.

_You little perverted brat_

She looked at me with eyes wide open in shock. While I gave her a death stare from the floor.

"What happened? Are you okay?", Hanji asked

And I just stared at Mikasa suspiciously, she was avoiding my gaze.

"Can you stand up?", Hanji asked

I looked at her clenching my jaw and I said, "No, Hanji... I can't.", giving her a warning look

Hanji stepped back, looked at me, then at Mikasa, and said, "oh!"

Then she addressed Yeager and said, "Eren, the next experiments I am going to perform are highly classified so I need you to leave."

"Are you serious?!", he protested

"Yes, orders from Commander Erwin, if you have a problem with it go and fight him."

Eren left the laboratory and Hanji locked the door. Then she walked back to us and said to me, "I might have just what you need.", and left to her back closet.

I looked at Mikasa and she was still avoiding my gaze, I looked at her amused and said, "You perv"

"Says the one with a boner sitting on the floor", she replied

"What the hell you were thinking about?", I asked

"I don't know what you are talking about.", she answered still avoiding eye contact

"Oh really?! Then why are you all red and avoiding looking at me?!", I teased just when Hanji arrived back.

She arrived with a spray bottle that looked like it had water with ice inside and she started spraying the shit out of me like a crazy maniac while screaming, "Get out of his body you demon of horniness!"

"What the fuck are you doing!? I am not a fucking cat!", I screamed at her

Then she stopped, and back to a calm manner like she wasn't acting like a maniac just a second ago, she asked, "Well, did it worked?", While raising a brow

That's when I realized, "Yes, it worked..."

**\-----**

**Author P.O.V.**

Eren went straight to the training room to try to get rid of some of the anger he had boiling inside. He started hitting the sandbag mercilessly.

"Oi! Eren! You have to pay it if you brake it.", Connie said

Eren just gave him a death stare and kept punching the sandbag.

Connie walked to him and stared at him, crossing his arms over his chest he said, "Are you planning on killing someone? I know Jean can be an ass but he is still a comrade."

Eren sighed and sat at a bench by the wall, and Connie sat beside him, "So, do you want to talk?"

"Is Mikasa, and that stupid Ackerman bond.", Eren said

"Ackerman bond? Wasn't that a myth?", Connie asked confused

"It didn't look like a myth to me when I saw her trying it with Levi. Hanji is experimenting trying to figure out how it works.", Eren said

"So, let me guess, you saw them interacting and felt threatened of being replaced? Right?", Connie said

"Like she could ever replace me."

"So why does it affects you so much then?"

"There's something about him... that I don't trust."

"Really? When he has saved your life multiple times, the court included. Are you sure you are being objective on this?"

Eren lost in thought said, "No, but I will."

**\-----------**

**Author P.O.V.**

"Let's try something different, I will still have the spray bottle in case you get frisky", she said pointing at Levi

"She was the one that transmitted filthy things to me! I will add a section of 'Clean your filthy brain' to the manual.", He said staring at Mikasa

She avoided his gaze and said, "I don't know what you are talking about."

With a sarcastic tone, he said, "Oh really!? That was so intense that if I was a woman you would've got me pregnant."

Mikasa stared at him in disbelief.

"Is it me, or Mikasa's humor is rubbing off on you?", Hanji said staring at Levi

"I don't know what you are talking about.", he replied

Hanji stared at him suspiciously for a moment then she continued, "Ok, enough chit chat, let's try one of the theories.", She said while holding a blindfold.

"The brain can't ignore moving objects, even if it's in your peripheral view, that's what happened when I flicked the pen this morning. Since Mikasa was able to detect it, I want to try that again, but, this time I want you to try and grab it, reading Levis neural signals.", Hanji said and placed the blindfold on Mikasa.

"Neural Signals?", Mikasa asked confused

"Just concentrate on Levi.", Hanji said

She then stepped back at arm's length, grabbed a pen, and started moving it. Then she said, "Levi I want you to concentrate on the moving pen, specifically in the location of it while I move it."

They stood in front of each other, close, but not touching. Levi stared at Mikasa while concentrating on the moving pen in his peripheral view and Mikasa with the blindfold on.

The second he concentrated on it, Mikasa, with her body still, shot her arm, fast like a lightning bolt, and grabbed it. Making Hanji yelp at the sudden movement.

Mikasa took the blindfold off, stared at Levi, and said, "Do you have to transmit everything with anger?!"

"It's not my fault that having an annoying moving pen on my peripheral view makes me want to stab something!", He said

"Alright, let's switch! Levi put on the blindfold.", Hanji said

Levi put the blindfold on and they repeated the same exercise. As soon as she concentrated on the movement he shot his arm but failed to grab it.

"Try again", Hanji said

They try again and he is closer to grab it, but still fails.

"Do you need glasses Brat?", He said sarcastically

"You are the one who doesn't know how to read me!"

"Let's try again!", Hanji said

This time he shot his arm and grabbed it. He then, took his blindfold off and looked at the pen confused, and said, "Hanji, I think I saw it."

"Describe it", Hanji said curiously

He stared at Mikasa and said, "You are concentrating on the big peaks right?"

She responded, "I thought it was the most obvious way to start with."

"What do you mean with peaks?", Hanji asked curiously

"What I receive from her feels similar to strings of small electrical current waves, some of them have waves higher than others in the same string, if you follow only those peaks you can catch the moving object fast, but I was concentrated on the peaks and the next higher ones and I think, I saw for a moment a grainy black and white image of the moving pen. It's a mess of strings that some parts somehow make sense.", he then stared at Mikasa and said, "you need to organize your brain brat!"

"I receive the same mess from your head but with added anger, hate, and a lot of stabbing!" , She yelled back.

"Hm, interesting", Hanji said while she started throwing papers to the floor looking for a specific one, "I read something similar to your description in one of the theories!"

She keeps throwing papers on the floor like a hurricane until she stops at one of the paper sheets and said, "Aha! Let's start with the most prominent ones, visuals of moving objects, at first it might feel like a shot of electricity from the other subject, but with practice, your brain will realign the received signals to the visual section of it and, in theory, you will be able to see something similar to a grainy black and white map of what the other person is seeing. The resolution of how you see, it's supposed to get better with practice."

Levi and Mikasa look at each other confused while Hanji is jumping around from excitement and then she said, "It's based on proximity and the ability to read the other which increases with practice. By read, I mean, reading each other neural signals, let's call the brain waves for simplicity. The most prominent ones are visual brain waves, but with practice is possible to read the smaller ones. There are no theories about what senses or how deep this can go."

She talked so fast that Levi and Mikasa just stared at her confused, and Levi said, "As long as everything you said doesn't translate to something similar to me ending up as the male version of this Brat we are good to go.", he said pointing at Mikasa.

"I'm pretty sure that if that happens, you would be less angry, and that's definitely an improvement. Also, what makes you think you would still be a male?", Mikasa answered.

Levi stared at her confused and he leaned to Hanjis' ear and asked, "I am not going to grow boobs, right?!"

Suddenly, someone knocked at her laboratory door, and Hanji exclaimed, "Good! Lunch is here!"

"What?!", Mikasa and Levi shouted

"Yes, we will receive dinner too, we will not leave this laboratory today for the rest of the day!", Hanji shouted excited

"I'm leaving, I have to train my squad", Levi said while walking towards the door.

"No you won't, Erwin will take over today, he said it was an order.", Hanji said making Levi froze on his way to the door.

"So are we going to be your lab rats for the rest of the day!? Don't you have some experiments or limbs to cut from the Titan Shifter?", Levi said annoyed

"I canceled all, today, for the rest of the day, you two, are mine.", She said with an evil smile making Levi and Mikasa look at each other worriedly.

**\-----**

"I heard Erwin will cover for Levi for some weeks.", Sasha said grinning

"What makes you think that he will be better than Levi?", Connie asks

"At least, less angry and that is an upgrade.", Sasha said

"Wasn't he Levi's Captain back on the day?", Jean asked

"Maybe, but he seems nicer.", Sasha said

"Oi! Armin! Eren! We are here!", Said Connie to Armin and Eren that just arrived at the mess hall for lunch.

"Where is Mikasa, I haven't seen her all morning.", Sasha asked

"I doubt we see her today, Erwin told me she was going to be all day with Hanji and Levi at her laboratory.", Armin said

"Wasn't it just for the morning?", Eren asked

"No, Erwin gave Hanji free reign over them, he told me to tell you that all experiments with you today are canceled.", Armin said

"Free reign? To Hanji? Is he crazy?!", Eren asked in disbelief

"That's what I thought too, we will have to check on Mikasa to see if she is still alive at the end of the day.", Armin said jokingly

"I'll check on her, I have to also make sure Hanji didn't cut any limbs.", Eren said.

"What is this bond thing anyway?", Jean asked

"That's what they are trying to figure out, I was planning on asking her tonight.", Eren said dryly

**\---- Hours later ----**

"I can't see it!", Mikasa shouted frustrated.

"You are speed reading my waves like a crazy maniac!", Levi shouted

"Let's change again, Levi try and see the image of the moving pen again.", Hanji said

Levi puts the blindfold on and they start the exercise again. After, a couple of minutes he said, "My head hurts and I can't see it."

"See! You probably hallucinated something before, and it wasn't a pen!", Mikasa shouted

"You are probably manipulating your waves so you can look better!", Levi shouted giving her a suspicious look, "You are giving me a headache."

"Headache is only natural when you are using your brain in a way you are not used to, for longs periods of times.", Hanji explained, "Since you were the one that saw the image, let's keep trying until you see it again. Concentrate on seeing it, do not grab it, if you see it, try to keep the image constant for as long as you can."

After the sixth try...

"Maybe your age is affecting your reading!", Mikasa said teasingly

"Says the one that never saw the image in the first place!", Levi replied

"Stop fighting each other and concentrate on the exercise! No more talking!", Hanji said.

"Wait-", Levi said when Hanji cut him off

"No more talking!", Hanji shouted

"Then how the fuck am I supposed to tell you that I'm seeing the fucking moving pen right now!?", Levi shouted

Hanji gasped excitedly and said, "Talk! Talk!"

"I stopped seeing it when I talked... wait... I see it.", Levi said

Hanji still moving the pen said, "Can you see the pen moving?"

"Yes, flickers sometimes but I am seeing it now.", Levi said

Hanji stopped moving the pen and Levi said, "It's gone, I can't see it."

She moved the pen again and Levi said, "there, I can see it again."

She stopped again and Levi said, "No image"

Moved again, "I see it again."

"Interesting...", Hanji said, "Let's do this three more times and try to explain to Mikasa what you are reading.

**\------**

"It's already late, do you know when Hanji usually ends with her experiments for the day?", Armin asked Eren

"It's Hanji, she has unlimited energy, and Erwin basically told her to do whatever she wanted.", Eren said frustrated

"Also, Levi and Mikasa are the top two strongest Humans right now so they can hold Hanji's craziness for a long time.", Connie said

"Imagine that they end up as a couple, it would be humanity's strongest couple! With super strong babies!", Sasha said excitedly.

"Mikasa and Levi? A couple? Impossible.", Eren said

"I don't think is impossible, especially now that they have the weird bond thing.", Jean said

Eren clenched his fists and said, "Like I'll let it happen."

**\-------**

"My head is killing me! All of my body hurts!", Mikasa said protesting

"She's right, this thing takes more energy than what I thought.", Levi said

"Don't start complaining! We have a lot to cover! Mikasa put the blindfold on again!", Hanji said

"I can't keep the image constant! And my head hurts!", Mikasa said

"You know that Erwin gave me permission to do as I pleased today with you two right?!", Hanji shouted and Mikasa, afraid, put the blindfold on as fast as she could.

"Let's try this again!", Hanji said while moving the pen.

"I see it.", Mikasa said.

"Keep it constant.", Hanji said.

"I... I think it's constant...", Mikasa said.

"It flickers a little, right?", Levi said.

"Yes.", Mikasa responded

"Great! Let me go get my notes!", Hanji exclaimed jumping.

Hanji went back to her desk.

"Do you think we are done?", Mikasa asked Levi.

"It's pretty late, I think we should finish soon.", Levi answered while dropping tired on a chair.

Mikasa sat next to him and said, "My body feels like a whole day of extreme workout, everything hurts."

"I never thought this could be so tiring...", Levi said rubbing his temples

"Aha! Here! I have a list of all the experiments we will do!", Hanji said jumping with a piece of paper.

"Give me that!", Levi said snatching the piece of paper from her hand, "Let's see what you have here", he starts to read the list out loud, "moving objects, limit to proximity, reading signals, sending signals, alcohol effect, Blocking signals, Hangegrama effect, PMS, tin foil hats, bread, cheese, lettuce, tampons... What the-?!", Levi look at it confused and Hanji jumped in.

"Oh crap! I mixed my shopping list! Here are the rest", she said as she handles him a block of papers.

"All of this?!", Mikasa exclaimed

"We can't cover all of this today. That is a fact.", Levi said

"We start today, depending on how it goes, is the schedule for the next weeks", Hanji clarified

Levi leaned to Mikasa and whispered to her, "We are screwed"

She whispered back, "She is planning on drugging us! Look at the names of some of those tests!"

"We will have to plan something to drug her and sneak the hell out!"

"Just, hit her on the head with something!"

Levi gave her a death stare and said, "We are not killing Hanji!", He then continued with a sarcastic tone, "And I'm the one with anger issues."

"Let's start with the experiments?!", Hanji shouted happily

"Start?!", Levi asked raising a brow

"Then what the hell have we've been doing all day! Wasn't that experiments also?!", Mikasa said

"No, that was trying to figure out what the Ackerman bond was about.", Hanji said with a creepy wide grin on her face and continued, "So let's start!"

**\---- 1 hour later----**

Mikasa and Levi are lying on the floor like two lifeless bodies, while Hanji is poking at them with a stick.

"Come on! You are the top two Humanity Strongest! You can't be this tired already!", Hanji said frustrated

Mikasa and Levi said in unison, "Fuck you Hanji."

Defeated Hanji said, "Oh well, I guess this is it for today then.", she walked to the door and noticed that they didn't move a muscle at all, they were still lying on the floor, "I guess you can stay there for the night, I don't mind.", then, she left.

"I can't move, everything hurts, and I think, now I have a pen phobia.", Mikasa said

"Hanji can do that to you sometimes.", Levi replied

After a couple of minutes of laying on the floor, Levi said, "We can't stay here, this lab is so filthy that I wouldn't be surprised if rats were hanging around.", as he stood up.

Mikasa grunted in protest and said, "I don't want to move! Leave me alone!"

"Leave you? In this filthy laboratory of a crazy scientist? Where there probably are flesh-eating three-eyed rats with mutated Titan genes, waiting to eat you?", Levi said

Levi then reached out to Mikasa and picked her up like a bag of potatoes.

"What are you doing!? Let me down!", Mikasa shouted.

"I'm saving your ass again Brat!", Levi said while walking with her to the laboratory door, without letting her down.

She grunted while trying to release herself and, when finally defeated, she said, "Fuck you."

"You already did! That's precisely why we are in this mess, to begin with!", he said

"You have half the fault on that!", she shouted

He smirked and said, "You are right."

**\-------**

Arriving at the castle, Levi still holding Mikasa like a bag of potatoes, and she just hanging like a dead body, the gang spotted them.

"Mikasa! What happened to her?!", Armin asked

She replied with a lazy voice, "Hanji, happened."

Levi started walking Mikasa to her room and Armin and Eren followed him.

"Are you guys planning on doing this every day?", Eren asked while raising a brow.

"Hanji has to discuss the schedule with Erwin, but, judging by the unending list of experiments she wants to put us through, it wouldn't surprise me that we end up with the same schedule of today for weeks.", Levi answered.

"So, technically we will not see her again in the following weeks?", Armin asked worriedly.

"Apart from watching us arrive back to the castle, looking like we fought Titans all day, I doubt you will see us much.", Levi said opening the door to her room.

He entered her room, and Armin and Eren followed. He placed her on the bed and she was already snoring. Levi stared at her in disbelief.

**Eren** **P.O.V.**

He put her on her bed and stared at her, like he didn't look at her enough during a whole fucking day, especially ridiculously up close.

"So, did you figure it out? The bond thing?", I asked

"Hanji thinks is some sort of brain signals transfer.", He answered as he started to take her boots out of her feet. He took one and I rushed to take the other, then I covered her with her blanket. _You have touched her enough for today._

"What type of experiments she did for her to be so tired?", Armin asked.

"The problem wasn't so much the experiments, it's the bond itself, it takes a lot of energy to do the transfers.", Levi said.

"Hmm, is possible that it gets easier with time, you will probably learn how to transfer in an energy-efficient manner.", Armin said.

"How does it feel?", I asked.

"When it happens, I just feel... her.", He answered.

_Feel... HER?!_

Levi continued, "Is difficult to explain honestly."

We started walking out of her room when Mikasa whispered, "Levi...?". We stopped and stared back at her and she was snoring again.

_Levi?_

Levi then said, "Good night, Mikasa.", And closed the door of her room.

_Mikasa?_

Walking back to our rooms I asked Armin, "Since when they refer to each other by the first name?!"

"It has to be a bond thing, it wouldn't surprise me if it brought them closer. From now on it's only a matter of time for the bond to get stronger and deeper. I'm really curious on how deep it can go.", Armin said.

_As deep as I let it go. I need to take her away from him._

**\------**

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Knock. Knock.

"Eren? What are you doing knocking on my door at this hour?!", Sasha asked.

"I need a favor. I know you have been on library duty this week. Do you have the key to the vault?", Eren asked.

"Yes, I've been organizing the vault historical documents.", She said.

"I need you to get me in.", Eren said.

"Why?", She asked.

"I was thinking, fighting with Jean lately have been boring, so I plan on getting some blackmail to make things more interesting around. Also, I thought you wanted payback for him stealing your bread at dinner.", he said.

Sasha jumped excited and said, "Follow me!"

**\---------**

**Eren** **P.O.V.**

"Guard the door while I'm in.", I said.

"Check out if you find something on Connie too! I'll make him do my chores if you find something spicy about him!", Sasha said.

I nodded and entered the vault. I passed the historical documents and went straight to the personal files section.

_Let's see who you really are..._

I stopped at the L section, searching through the folders...

 _what_ _the fuck is this..._

Levi's personal file wasn't a folder, it looked more like a thick book. I opened it, trying to look for key information that could help me remember. It was obvious that I wouldn't be able to read it all, and I can't take it out with me either without anyone noticing that it's missing.

Going through the pages... _What are these? Crimes?!_ Most of the pages were details about crimes committed by him. There was a summary section of the crimes...

_Underground crimes:_

_Levi Ackerman was in charge of the drug distribution branch of the underground._

_Levi Ackerman was a paid hitman, only 20 deaths have been confirmed, it is estimated that this number only represents around 30% of what would be the real total of deaths by his hand._

_Levi Ackerman worked under the serial killer Kenny The Ripper._

"How the fuck is he not in jail?!"

"Wait..."

"Kenny The Ripper...?"

"Kenny... It can't be... That day he was..."

Eren closed the file and said:

"It's him. I remember."


	7. Pact With The Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter talks about drugs and has explicit scenes of sex.
> 
> This chapter was really hard to write, but here it is, enjoy! :)

**Author** **P.O.V**

After two weeks of relentless experiments, Erwin decided to update their schedule giving them more free time, ignoring Hanjis' protests about it. It wasn't really his idea, to begin with, but when the top two Humanity Strongest threatened him to team up and feed him to a Titan if he didn't change the schedule, didn't leave much room for a choice.

They have been under the new schedule for a couple of days now. The changes allow them an hour to eat outside of the laboratory, and the experiments are finished before dinner, giving them the rest of the day to do as they please.

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

I woke up today with more energy than the past days. The bond experiments have been less tiring over time. Levi and I still fight a lot during all of it but, more than fighting feels like teasing and challenging each other. I guess this thing gave me a sense of familiarity around him.

I was brought back from my thoughts when someone loudly knocked at my door followed by,

"Wake up slacker! If we want to be done with Hanji on time today we can't be late, and I am not planning on staying a second past schedule with that crazy woman because of your sleepy ass!", Levi said

"Your waves doesn't match the urgency of your words!", I said.

"Tsc" I heard him said while walking away mumbling something.

I finished getting ready for the day and headed to the Castle's kitchen. The squad was already there starting to eat their food. I went to grab mine when I saw Levi's back a couple of steps away from me with his tray in hand. I saw a basket of apples and grabbed one as I said,

"Levi, do you want an apple?"

Without looking at me he said, "Throw it!"

Everyone stared at us as I threw the apple, it passed between his head and shoulder area, and without looking, not even turning around, he grabbed it. Then, he took a bite and kept walking to his table as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

When I sat on the table with the squad, everyone was staring at me.

"No matter how many times I see you two throwing stuff at each other and catching it like some badass superheroes, it never cease to amaze me.", said Connie

"That looks so cool! I don't think I would ever get used to seeing it!", Sasha said

"Mikasa, do you want to do something after you are done with Hanji today?", Armin asked

"Of course, I miss spending time with you guys.", I answered looking at Eren too

"Eren, do you have plans or are you going out of the base again today?", Armin asked annoyed

 _Out of the base?_ I thought

"I guess I can make an exception for today and join you guys.", he said while staring at his food lost in thought.

"So, Mikasa, do you know what experiments Hanji has planned for you two today?", Jean asked

"I haven't ask, why?", I replied

"Because Erwin told me that the whole elite squad will assist Hanjis experiments during the morning.", Jean said

"What?!", I said

_What kind of crazy shit is she planning now?_

Jean shrugged and I said, "You never know what to expect with Hanji.", and sighed.

Finishing our foods and returning our used trays to the dirty pile, Eren grabbed me from the waist and pulled me close to him, making me gasp at the unexpected movement. Then, he got closer until our noses were touching as he said,

"Looking forward to seeing you tonight."

He then gave me a kiss on the cheek and left, that's when I heard the sound of glass breaking.

**Eren** **P.O.V.** ****

We were returning the used trays, and about to leave when I realized we were pretty close to where Levi was seated. _If he thinks he is the only one who can get close to her I will prove him wrong_

I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to me, and said on a, not so low that he could hear, voice,

"Looking forward to seeing you tonight."

Then, when I was leaving I noticed him staring at me, I stared back and smirked at him. He broke the glass of water he was holding in his hand.

**Levi** **P.O.V.**

I watched as he got close to her, _is he planning on kissing her?_ Then, I clearly heard him say to her,

"Looking forward to seeing you tonight."

He then looked straight at me and smirked, _does he have a death wish?!_  
I realized I was applying extra pressure to the glass of water I was holding with my right hand when I heard the crash of the glass breaking.

Then, I heard Mikasa make a pained hiss sound and when I looked at her, she was looking at her right hand, _it can't be..._

I looked at the broken glass, and my hand was bleeding, and of course, it hurt, not that I would ever show it.

"What did you do Levi!?", Mikasa shouted at me.

"I'm fine", I said.

"Cut the crap! I can feel it and it hurts!", She said.

_Fucking bond_

"I don't know what the hell you are feeling but it's certainly not me, brat!", I shouted.

I knew that denying it at this moment was pointless, but I wasn't going to lose my pride.

She grabbed my left hand and pulled me out of the castle's kitchen, "What the hell are you doing!?", I shouted.

"I have an emergency kit in my room, or were you planning on going all bloody to Hanjis' lab?!"

On our way, we passed by Yeager and he saw Mikasa pulling me by the hand, "What the hell is going on?!", He said.

"I need to fix his hand before we go to Hanjis'"

He seemed to want to keep talking when I saw one small crystal still stuck in my hand.

_This will be interesting..._

I saw that he was getting close to hug her again, and I pulled the crystal out, and of course, it hurt like hell.

Mikasa jumped a step back from him and looked at her right hand again. Then she looked at me and saw me holding the crystal I just pulled out.

"How many crystals are still stuck in your hand?", she asked.

"I think that was the only one.", I said.

"Good! Because that shit hurt! Let's go and fix you.", She said while grabbing my left hand again.

"Yeager you will be late if you keep staring at us! You need to meet with the rest of the squad and meet Erwin now!", I shouted when I saw him giving me a death stare. He nodded and left.

**Author** **P.O.V.**

They arrived at Mikasa's room and she guided him to sit at the corner of her bed, while she looked for her emergency kit.

"Would you care to explain what was that about?", She asked.

"What are you talking about?", Levi replied.

Mikasa looked at him in disbelief and signaled to his bloody hand.

"I don't know, I just broke the glass I was holding.", Levi said.

"The glass you hold every day, you just... What? Got angry at it?!", She said mockingly.

"I don't know! It was Yeager's fault!", I shouted.

"How the hell is Erens' fault that you squished the life out of an innocent glass!", She said.

Levi stared at his hand lost in thought and after a moment he said, "I don't know Mikasa, I don't even understand it myself..."

"Now, you are just talking nonsense, let's fix that hand fast. We are already late for Hanjis'.", She said

"Speaking of, don't tell her that you felt my pain.", Levi said.

"Why?", Mikasa asked confused.

"Do you really want her to add pain experiments to her already insanely long list that might probably end up in her cutting the shit out of us?!", Levi said.

Mikasa looked at him scared and said, "You are right."

**\------**

"Did you see how Mikasa scolded the Captain when he broke the glass!?", Sasha said chuckling

"They act like an old married couple now, is hilarious.", Connie said

"I bet is a bond thing, if any of us dare to speak to him like that we would already be dead.", Jean said

"I thought the bond was only a visual thing, it seemed to me like she felt the pain of his hand. Is an interesting new development.", Armin said

Eren arrived running to them.

"You are still on time we are still waiting on Erwin.", Armin said to him

**\-----------**

"What the hell happened to your hand!", Hanji shouted as she saw Levi, with a bandaged hand, and Mikasa arriving at her lab.

"He got angry with a glass of water and killed it.", Mikasa said mockingly.

Hanji stared at him in disbelief and said, "Care to explain!?"

"I'm fine!", Levi shouted.

"What? You are not going to tell her that it was Erens' fault too or you only show your crazy nonsense to me now?!", Mikasa said looking at him suspiciously.

"Eren, huh?", Hanji said looking at Levi suspiciously, then she said, "Mikasa go to Erwins' and tell him that we are ready, bring the elite squad here, they will be assisting us today."

"I am not letting you do experiments on my team!", Levi shouted.

"They will be assisting me with your experiments for the morning.", Hanji said as Levi stared at her suspiciously.

Mikasa started to walk to the lab door and Levi followed to go with her.

"Where do you think you are going!?", Hanji shouted making them both freeze on their way out.

"I said Mikasa, not Levi.", Hanji clarified.

Levi leaned to Mikasa and whispered, "Don't leave me alone with this crazy scientist! Is an order!"

"You've known her for years, what's the difference now!", Mikasa whispered back.

"I was never one of her test subjects and she's looking at me like some piece of steak she just wants to cut!", Levi said.

"You are Humanity Strongest, act like it!", Mikasa whispered back and left, while Levi gave her a death stare.

"You were trying to get her to stay with you just now, right? That makes me even more suspicious of you Levi.", Hanji said.

"Because I saw your face when she mentioned Eren and I knew you were going to stick your nose in something that is none of your damn business!", Levi shouted.

"Cut the crap and talk! What's the deal with you two?!", Hanji said.

"Nothing! Nothing has happened and I doubt it will since it's been pretty clear since the beginning that she's in Love with the shifter!", Levi shouted frustrated and defeated he sat on a chair.

"But what do you want?", Hanji asked.

"I don't know Hanji..."

"You still feel guilty about her past even though we've talked about it many times and it doesn't make sense for you to feel that way.", Hanji said.

"I know...", Levi said.

"So do you get jealous when Eren is close to her?", She asked.

"If wanting to cut the limbs of his that dare to touch her counts as jealousy, then yes.", He said frustrated.

"You have to tell her.", Hanji said.

"How? I told you what I heard that night when I had to hide in her closet. He literally confessed to her how he felt, and she's been clearly waiting all of her life for that confession. I don't even know if they are together! He waits for her every day when we are done with the experiments. He puts his arm around her shoulders, and this morning I heard him said something that looked like they were going on a date tonight...", Levi said frustrated.

"Hm, let me handle it.", Hanji said with an evil smile.

"What?!", Levi shouted just when the elite squad, Mikasa and Erwin started to enter the lab.

"Welcome to my Lab! I'm sure you've heard wonderful stories about what happens here from your friend Eren!", Hanji said excitedly.

"They know how much I enjoyed when you cut my limbs and made me transform to get your shifters stool samples.", Eren said sarcastically.

At his last statement, Levi gave Hanji a death stare, and Mikasa was trying to hold her laugh.

"Enough chit chat let's start this! Mikasa and Levi, I want you two to stand up back to back with your backs touching.", Hanji said as she pointed to a spot on the floor where she wanted them to be.

"Erwin, I want you to analyze Mikasa and Levi's movements with me. Stand at Levi's left side, with around two arm's length of distance from them, and I will stay here at his right.", Erwin nodded and took his position.

"I will guide the rest of you to a position. You will all end up making a circle, at arm's length, around them and facing them."

She guided Eren to stand between Levi's left and center area. Then, Sasha between his center and right area. Followed by Jean covering between Mikasa's left and center area, and Armin between her center and right area.

"Alright! Now, I want you guys to throw punches at them using 50% of your regular speed. Mikasa and Levi, I want you to dodge as much as possible.", Hanji said excited, and continued "You can all attack at the same time, now start!"

"What?!", Mikasa shouted when they started throwing punches and she started dodging.

Levi looked at his right at the same time as Mikasa looked at hers, to stop a punch from Sasha, while she stopped one from Armin. Eren, trying to take advantage of Levis blindspot, since he was looking right, threw a punch to his left side. Without looking, Levi grabbed his wrist and twisted it. At that moment Mikasa dodges a punch from Jean directed at her blindspot. She moved her head as she slightly aligned her gaze left, at the same time Levi's mirrored her gaze movement.  
Her head movement left Levi's back head open, while she saw the punch with her peripheral view, causing Levi to dodge Jean's punch, resulting in Jean stumbling and almost falling against Mikasa.

"Stop!", Hanji shouted jumping from excitement, then she asked Erwin, "Erwin what did you see!?"

"I have read about this and I never thought it would look like this, if I didn't see it I would have never believed it.", Erwin said amazed.

"What are you talking about!?", Levi shouted.

"The way you two move, your heads, is a mirror of the other, no matter where the attack comes from. If I draw a line to where each of your foreheads pointing forward while fighting, your line and Mikasa's would always be aligned in a perfectly straight line.", Erwin said.

"What does that mean?", Mikasa said.

"Humans have a slightly over 210-degree forward-facing horizontal arc of their visual field. The remaining 150 degrees is what constitutes your blindspot. With Levi behind, you can cover that blindspot reading his neural signals!", Hanji said excitedly.

"So, you mean that technically, fighting like this we have no blind spots?", Levi said.

"You twisted Erens' wrist without looking when he tried to get your blind spot.", Sasha said to Levi.

Levi looked at Eren and he was holding his own wrist giving him a death stare.

"This is useful.", Levi said.

"I started at 50% of everyone's speed but we will keep increasing all morning until we get that 100%", Hanji said jumping.

**\--------Time Skip--------**

Mikasa and Levi are sweating from dodging all morning, and the squad is growing frustrated with not being able to hit a single punch.

"I think we are done!", Hanji said excitedly.

Mikasa and Levi turned and stared at each other.

"Are you alright?", Levi asked

She nodded and said, "Next time we should attack also, it would be cool if we kick everyone's ass at the same time."

"I was thinking the same thing.", Levi said.

Armin approached Hanji and said, "Apart from visual, have you been able to test other senses?"

"Not with a successful outcome yet, why?", Hanji said.

"What about the sense of touch?", Armin asked.

"That would be a tricky one, the only thing that comes to mind is something strong as pain. Otherwise, it would require a lot of concentration in an environment with no distractions.", Hanji said.

"I think they already shared pain, is possible to extract from that, right?", Armin said.

With a devilish smile, Hanji said, "Really!? You just gave me an idea."

"Everyone can leave for lunch, Mikasa and Levi stay a little longer, I want to discuss something with you two!", Hanji shouted.

After everyone left, Hanji stared at both of them while Levi was giving her a warning look.

"So, I would like you guys to try something on your own. The two of you, alone.", she said staring at them with a grin on her face, she continued, "So far, all experiments have been the three of us, there are some signals that can be tricky to read that would require complete concentration with zero distractions, and something as simple as me, being around, counts as one."

"What do you want us to do?", Levi asked giving her a suspicious look.

"I want you two, after today's experiments, to find a dark place, and as noiseless as possible. Meet there and try to read those small signals that come from the deep middle section of the brain, forehead against forehead.", Hanji said.

"I was planning on hanging out today with Eren and Armin, we could try it after that.", Mikasa said looking at Levi.

Hanji said, "It's nice that you spend time with Eren-", she looked at Levi as she continued, "AND Armin."

Levi gave her a warning look. Then he answered Mikasa, "I guess we can try that."

**\---------Time Skip---------**

Knock. Knock.

"Mikasa! Open the door, hurry!", Armin whispered while knocking.

Mikasa runs to open the door of her room, as Eren and Armin rushed to sneak in.

"What are you guys doing!?", Mikasa asked worried about their sense of urgency.

"Do you have everything?", Eren asked Armin.

"Yes, I brought Mikasa's too.", Armin said.

Mikasa looked at her two friends suspiciously. They both had backpacks and their 3DM gears, Armin was holding an extra gear for her.

"You are not supposed to have this here or use it out of duty hours! How did you even manage to get it out of the storage room!?", Mikasa exclaimed.

"I got my hands on them.", Eren said proudly.

"You stole the gear!?", Mikasa said.

"It's not stealing if you plan to bring it back!", Eren said.

"Where are we going?", Mikasa asked suspiciously.

"You just follow us, we have to be sneaky so we don't get caught!", Armin replied.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is one of your bad ideas?", Mikasa said to Eren.

"You would be surprised to know it was Armin's idea.", Eren replied.

Mikasa stared at Armin in shock and disbelief.

"What! Did you thought that none of your troublemaking traits would rub off on me after all these years?!", Armin said, making Mikasa and Eren look at each other and laugh.

"We have to sneak out of the Castle without the Captain or anyone noticing we have the gear on. Let's go!", Eren said.

The three of them walked fast straight through the Castles stairs, then out of the Castle itself without being noticed.

"Where are we going!", Mikasa said

"Just follow us!", Eren said

They walked through the open fields, crossed the ODM training grounds with their gears while laughing and teasing each other skills. Then they arrived.

"Why are we so close to the wall?", Mikasa said.

"Did you check the Garrison patrol schedule for tonight?", Eren asked Armin.

"Yes, the last patrol of this area was around 5 minutes ago, the next will be on approximately 25 minutes .", Armin said.

"Are you planning on going to the top of the wall?!", Mikasa asked.

"Yes! Shoot your gear up! Last one there will do our laundry for a week!", Eren shouted as he fired his gear flying all the way to the top of the wall.

The three of them landed at the top and sat down together. They were on top of the first wall that protected humans against Titans. They could see the vast planes, mountains, and as far as their eyes could see to this unknown world outside of the walls.

"So, what do you want Mikasa?", Eren asked, bringing her back from her thoughts.

"Huh?", Mikasa asked confused.

Eren opened his bag and said, "I have potatoes, bread, a bottle of juice, crackers..." He said showing Mikasa the contents of his bag.

"Where did you get all that!?", She exclaimed.

Armin also opened his bag and showed her that he also had other options of munchies for her to choose from.

"You guys... I'm not even going to ask.", Mikasa said as she grabbed a couple of cookies from Erens' backpack.

"Look what I brought!", Armin said excitedly as he pulled out the book Mikasa gave him on his birthday.

"Is that...?!", Eren exclaimed.

"Mikasa gave it to me on my birthday, I thought we could look at it like we used to when we were kids, remember?", Armin said.

Mikasa smiled at his words and said, "How could I forget about the happiest years of my life."

Eren grabbed the book and opened it, "Do you think that someday we could go out of these walls and explore the real world?", He said as he sighed.

"I would love to see that magic lights that you used to talk about.", Mikasa said looking at Armin.

"The book said that the name of that phenomenon is 'polar lights'.", Armin said.

"I will believe it if I see it, I still can't imagine that thing of dancing strings of lights up in the sky. I'm pretty sure that if the people who worship the walls see that, they would definitely shit their pants.", Eren said jokingly.

They started talking and laughing like old times when they were kids. Enjoying the simplicity of this moment. Because here and now, they had each other, and they were still alive, and in this cruel world, every single day, was a gift.

They were caught in the moment when suddenly, "Oi! Who's there?!", a Garrison officer who was patrolling the wall, shouted at them.

"Shit! Grab everything and jump!", Eren shouted to Armin and Mikasa.

They ran to grab their things and jumped from the tall wall laughing and firing their ODM gear to escape. After an hour of running and flying away, they managed to get close to the Survey Corps elite squad Castle.

"Did we lose them?", Armin asked.

"Like they could keep up with us .", Mikasa said jokingly.

"Let's sneak back in.", Eren said.

Mikasa placed her arms around Erens' and Armin's shoulders, with them by her sides, she picked up her legs making them carry her, like when they were kids. They were laughing and going up the stairs back to their rooms when they saw Levi at the top of the stairs waiting for them.

They all froze, with their gear on, staring at him.

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

We arrived and he was waiting for us at the end of the stairs. With his arms crossed over his chest and raising a brow, giving us a suspicious look.

"...Eren...", Armin said trying to hide the fact that we were caught red-handed.

"Did you get caught?", Levi asked.

Armin gave him a smile and said, "They couldn't catch us!"

Levi gave him a smirk and said, "I wouldn't expect less from my team."

Mikasa and Eren looked at each other confused.

"Thanks for the idea Captain!", Armin said.

_Wait, it was his idea to do something against the rules?!_

He smirked at Armin and said, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Then, he looked at Eren and said, "Something tells me that the door of the storage room is open, for some unknown reason. If I were you, I would benefit from that fact and sneak the equipment back in before you get caught."

Eren nodded and ran to the storage room to get the equipment back to where it belongs.

Armin ran up the stairs and smiled at Levi, while Levi nodded in return. Then, he left for his room leaving us alone.

We haven't been alone since the night he came to my room to clarify things up about, well, the night we activated the bond, amongst other things. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

That first day of experiments, being so close to him for the first time after that night, I couldn't even think of what was asked of me...

**\-----FlashBack------**

"Good, now both of you close your eyes and concentrate on the other, Mikasa, think of that day at the court, how you felt, focus on that and Levi in front of you.", Hanji said.

I tried thinking about that day, but having him so close only made me want to think of that night. I tried hard to concentrate on the court day, when he kicked Eren to the face, punched him, then pinned me against the wall, kissed me touched me... _Fuck! Wrong memory again..._

I was there fighting my mind when he said, "Did you went to sleep brat? Because I am not feeling anything!"

_You stupid ass, I would just punch your arrogant mouth out of you if you weren't such a good kisser!_

I sighed in frustration and said, "Hanji, I am really trying, I don't think this thing works both ways."

"Hm, let's try again, think of any memory with him that might cause a strong reaction.", Hanji said.

_Strong reaction, strong reaction..._

_His arms around my body, the feeling of his touch when he was on top of me, below me, behind me, all over me..._

"Mikasa, what the-!", He yelled as he dropped to the floor to sit to hide the unexpected erection that I gave him.

**\-----End of FlashBack-------**

_How the fuck am I supposed to deal with that now?_

Eren has been always there, walking me to my room after each experiment trying to spend time with me, and there I was with my mind in hornilandia. _Why the fuck does he has to look so good without clothes!?_ He is pure lean muscle, those abs are a gift from the devil himself...

"I have a place.", He said bringing me back from my thoughts.

"Huh?", I said confused.

"The place we had to find with Hanjis' descriptions for the experiment.", He said looking at me in disbelief.

Quickly I replied, "I will follow you then."

I walked up the stairs and he grabbed my hand to lead me while I gave him a suspicious look.

We walked through the halls of the castle and stopped in front of an old cage looking door that had a big lock on. He took a key out of his pocket and opened it. It was pitch black inside.

"Is this the place?", I asked.

"No, is dark but is back to back with Connie's room and that brat likes to randomly sing what sounds like a terrible effort at opera at night.", he said.

_I definitely need to tell that to Sasha_

"So where is it then?", I asked.

"Just let me guide you.", he said as he tightened the grip on my hand.

"Watch your step, we are going up.", He said as we started climbing up a spiral staircase.

He suddenly stopped and I bumped into him. He turned around and grabbed me by the waist as he asked, "Are you alright?"

Feeling his warm breath so close to me I could only answer, "Mhm." While nodding.

He then opened a door to reveal the rooftop of the castle. It was quiet and peaceful with a clear night where you could see so many stars in the sky. I walked around the rooftop enjoying the view then back at him. He was leaning against the, now closed, door looking at me.

**Author** **P.O.V**

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Levi said, "So, what do you think?"

"This place should work.", Mikasa replied.

He walked to her closing the gap between them stopping at a distance of just one step away from her.

"So Hanji said, something about the signals that come from the deep middle section of the brain right?", he said.

"Yes, also we have to be forehead against forehead, I think we have to close our eyes to try and block any visual signals.", Mikasa responded.

"Alright.", He said as he grabbed her by the waist pulling her closer and placing his forehead against hers.

"Do we have to think about something in particular?", Mikasa asked.

"I have no idea.", He said.

As they read each other the wind around them started to feel slightly stronger causing the hair at the back of their necks to pull up dragging the sensation across their spine.

They suddenly gave a step back, "Did it just got windier for a moment here?", Mikasa asked.

They stared at each other confused for a moment, there was a slight breeze but it wasn't like what they just felt while reading each other.

"Let's try again", Levi said pulling her close again.

They started reading each other, Levi had his arms around her waist and Mikasa had hers around his neck. Suddenly the same feeling started to spread across their bodies but this time, they didn't pull back.

Levi started to feel a warm feeling around his waist and Mikasa around her neck. Levi smirked and said, "I think I know what is going on."

Without breaking their position, he moved his left arm and brushed his fingers down her right arm making her shiver at his touch, at the same time he started to feel the hairs of his right arm to pull up dragging the sensation over his arm in coordination with his touch to Mikasa's arm.

"Try and copy the movements I am doing along your arm on mine.", He said.

Mikasa moved her left arm and brushed her fingers across the muscles of his arms and gasped at the intensity of the sensation.

"I think I can feel what you feel.", He said.

"It feels... Intense.", Mikasa responded.

She brushed her fingers up his neck across his jawline while feeling it on her own skin. He mirrored her movements as the intensity of the sensations ran down their spine. He tightened his grip around her waist as she pressed her hips forward against his.

She ran her arms around his neck bringing him closer brushing their noses.   
Their breaths started to intensify as he brushed his lips with hers.

She ran her nails through his scalp from the back of his neck pulling his hair slightly while he did the same.

"I'm about to lose control.", Levi said between breaths.

"Then lose it.", Mikasa said.

At her words, he kissed her passionately tightening the grip on her waist pulling his hips forward against hers. She moved her hands to the back of his waist, then, under his shirt, brushing her fingers upwards through his back making him groan.

He pinned her against the door and ground his hips against hers making her moan at the sensation of his full hardened length between her legs.

Between breaths, she said, "Don't stop."

While biting her neck he whispered to her ear, "As you wish."

The more they touched each other the easier it was to read each other waves. Those small waves from the deep middle section of their brains were no longer small. They were growing in amplitude until the only thing on their minds was the pleasure of touching each other.

Nothing else mattered, just the desperate sensation to get rid of the clothes that separated their skin from touching. She took his shirt off, he almost ripped hers out.

She scratched his back with her nails making him grind against her hips harder. Their bodies moved in synchrony as if one body was just the extension of the other.

She unbuttoned his pants while he did hers. They got rid of everything that blocked their skins from touching.

He thrust himself inside of her making her moan. Rocking against her harder against the door. Their bodies overwhelmed with the intensity of the pleasure released an animal's need for release. He felt the pressure of pleasure building inside of her on top of his own. His muscles tensing as he felt her inside while she squeezed, making him clench his jaw as he said, "fuck! You are so tight". Sensing her climax on top of his own, pulsing inside of her, he rocked faster as she moaned.

Breathless, she placed her head on the crook of his neck as he said, "That was..."

"Intense", she replied.

"Addictive.", He said.

"I don't think a regular person could've survived this.", Mikasa said.

He placed his forehead against hers as he said, "Do you want to test how many times we can survive this?"

She smirked and said, "Your room or mine?"

**\--------Time Skip-----------**

**Levi** **P.O.V**

It's been a week since that night. It's almost morning now, and as I roll on bed, I find her, sleeping next to me. I pulled her closer as I said, "You need to let me leave your room before everyone wakes up."

She groaned in protest as she tightened her grip around my waist she said, "You can go but leave your abs with me."

I hugged her closer and gave her a kiss on her forehead I said, "If you don't let me leave your room, I'll make you clean the stables brat!"

I smirked as she gave me a death stare and kicked me out of bed while saying, "You are a minion from hell!"

"That's more like it.", I said as I started to put my clothes on. Before leaving I said, "You look cute when you are mad." while closing the door of her room. I don't know what she said back to me but I heard a bunch of stuff being thrown at her, already closed, door. Walking down the hall to my room I thought, _and another day starts._

This has been happening since that night, and now that I think about it, is Hanjis' fault!

The morning after that night, we arrived at Hanjis' lab, like usual. Mikasa and I were thinking about what to say when she asks us about her little assignment, but she never asked for it, instead, she gave us a devilish smile when we arrived and proceeded, as usual, acting like she never told us about the assignment in the first place.

**\-----Flashback------**

"I'm going to have lunch, Levi are you coming?", Mikasa asked me.

"Go ahead, I need to discuss something with Hanji first.", I said as I gave a suspicious look to the crazy scientist with a wide grin in front of me.

"What did you do?", I asked her suspiciously.

"I don't know, what did YOU do?", she replied smiling.

We stared at each other in what looked like a suspicious stare contest.

"About your little assignment, how did you knew what was going to happen?", I asked.

She yelped excited and started jumping up and down as she said, "So it DID happen!?"

"Yes but you already knew that, so, how?!", I asked annoyed.

"I just knew that in the deep middle section of the brain is the nucleus accumbens, lateral hypothalamus, and the medial forebrain bundle among other interesting brain regions.", she said smiling and she continued, "It is not my fault that you liked, whatever it was that happened, so much that you reinforced your dopamine reward pathway"

"What the hell are you talking about?!", I asked annoyed.

"One of the brain structures that contains the reward system is the pleasure centers.", she said with a grin on her face.

"So you knew it was going to happen!?", I asked.

"It was a possibility if it happened means that you both enjoyed it very much, and THAT is not my fault.", she said.

**\----End of Backflash-----**

But it's totally her fault! She already knew it was going to happen and now we can't stop, not that it bothers me anyway.

I realized I spaced out when Erwin said, "are you going to answer?"

Confused I asked, "What was the question again?"

"Are you two getting along better?", Erwin asked.

"Who?"

"You and Mikasa obviously."

**\-----Flashback a moment just before the meeting with Erwin------**

I was walking by her side when I started to feel a warmth that started at my neck and ran all the way down to... "Mikasa! Control yourself we are in public!"

She then pushed me into the small closet of the cleaning supplies and closed the door behind us...

"You know that self-control is not one of my strengths and is your fault, you made me addicted to you!" She said while she pinned me against the wall.

I rolled our bodies and pinned her against the wall, "You are rubbing all those bad manners to me!", I said while grinding against her, "I was in control of my life until you arrived brat!"

"Stop complaining and take your pants off!", she said.

And... I was defeated... AGAIN.

**\----End of Flashback-----**

"We are not trying to kill each other now so that is an improvement.", I said.

"What about the experiments, I have Hanjis list here.", Erwin said as he read a piece of paper, he continued, "Oh! I see she tested the Hangegrama effect! How was it?"

**\----FlashBack----**

"We are going to do one of my favorite tests today!", Hanji said jumping from excitement.

"Where are we?", Mikasa asked.

"We are in my personal greenhouse!", Hanji exclaimed.

"What are we doing here?", I asked.

"We are going to test the effects of one of my plants on your bond.", she said as she pointed to one of her plants, she continued, "This one, I called it 'Hangegrama' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae."

"Are we supposed to eat that?", I asked.

"No, you see this part right here?", she asked while pointing at a green blob that was part of the plant, "This is the bud, you smoke it."

"You want me, to smoke a plant?", I said.

"Well at least is a plant, something natural, right?", Mikasa said.

**\--- TimeSkip ---**

We were forehead against forehead, but, laying on the floor.

"You have to stand up!", Hanji said.

We snorted laughing and said in unison, "We can't"

"Levi is sending me funny waves!", Mikasa said.

"It's not my fault that I am hearing the buzz of a fly flying and it sounds like the gas of the ODM gear. That little scheming fly stole the equipment and is using it to propel itself around!", I said.

"Are you gonna make the fly do stable duty for breaking the rules?", Mikasa asked laughing.

After that, none of us couldn't say another word without laughing like crazy maniacs while mumbling nonsense about 'How many flies are needed to pick up a regular size horse turd.'

**\---End of FlashBack---**

"Not my brightest moment.", I said.

"I see.", Erwin said.

Trying to change the subject I asked, "When am I going to be able to train my team again?"

"It should be soon enough, we should start merging training time with experiment time first.", he said.

"Are we done here? I don't want to spend the first free day I've had in a while on meetings.", I said.

"You may leave now.", Erwin said then, I left his office.

**\----------**

**Author P.O.V.**

"Where are we going?", Mikasa asked.

"It's been a while since we have an entire free day so I want to spend it with you. Follow me.", Eren answered while holding her hand.

"Is this going to turn out in another illegal stunt?", she asked.

He smiled at her and said, "Don't worry it will be totally safe."

They walked to the stables where they unexpectedly saw Levi brushing his horse. Mikasa tried to pull her hand away from Eren's but he tightened his grip as he said, "Oi! Captain, we will be taking my horse today."

Levi stared at them letting his gaze go to their hands, and then to Mikasas' face. He said, "I see... Both of your horses should be good to go."

"We will only need mine, she will ride with me.", Eren replied.

Levi stopped brushing his horse and clenched his jaw, then he said, "Well, don't let me stop you."

Eren grabbed his horse, and said to Mikasa, "Here, hold this for a second.", as he passed his backpack to her.

He got on the horse and helped her to get on it behind him, then they rode away. They stopped at the only tree that was in the middle of a sunflower field and he helped her to get down from the horse.

"It's been a while since we've been here.", Mikasa said.

"I know right!", he said as he grabbed his backpack, opened it, and took a folded blanket out of it. He stretched the blanket on the floor and sat on it.

"Does this bring any memories?", Eren asked playfully as she sat next to him.

She smiled and said, "From all of those times that I had to save your ass from the merchants at the plaza because you got caught trying to steal fruits because you wanted to have a picnic with Armin and me."

Eren laughed and said, "Well sometimes I was successful, like today.", he said while opening his backpack revealing fruits inside.

"Good, because I was getting tired of saving your ass from the merchants.", she said laughing.

Eren placed his arm around her shoulders and said, "I miss those days."

Mikasa grabbed an apple from his backpack and bite it as she said, "Mmm, I missed this too.", as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

They started talking about their memories from their childhood, laughing about silly things from the past.

"So, how are the bond experiments going?", Eren asked.

"We have been able to do a lot of progress, there is some useful stuff that we could use on the field.", she answered.

"Do you still hate him?", Eren asked.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because you guys seem closer than ever, you even seem to worry about him. I was wondering if it was just a bond thing."

"Honestly, I don't hate him, I don't know if it's because of the bond but, at this point, it's useless to ask for the cause since the bond is for life and there's nothing you can do about it anyway.", she answered.

"For life... I see...", Eren said.

"I mean, with all of this time we get to spend together, I think, I started to know more about him and it made me realize we have more in common than what I thought."

"So you actually enjoy being around him?", he asked annoyed.

"I do, there is this sense of familiarity around him, it feels like...", she said lost in thought, her mind finished that statement with _it feels like home,_ but instead she said, "...a safe place."

"Safe?", he asked incredulously.

"Yes."

**\------------**

Knock. Knock.

"Name and Purpose!", Levi said.

Hanji opened the door and just let herself in his office.

"What do you want?!", Levi asked annoyed.

"To talk, you know, like friends, like normal people that know each other for years do.", she said sarcastically.

"You see me every day in your lab, did you missed me so much that you had to seek me out on the only free day I have away from your craziness?"

"Of course! I can't get enough of my cute little grumpy Levi!.", she said excitedly while Levi gave her a death stare.

She smiled as she asked, "How is everything in the levikasa department?"

"What do you mean?", he said.

"Well, I was wondering if you guys finally had the talk.", she said.

"The talk?"

"You know, the talk about being an actual couple, it's clear that you are crazy about each other. Also, if you do we could go on double dates and that would be fun!", she exclaimed.

"Couple? Double date?... Slow down for a moment, first of all, we are not a couple, and I am pretty sure she is still into the shifter, what we have so far seems to be only physical, and secondly, double date?", he asked curiously.

"Don't bullshit me, it's obvious she wants you!", Hanji said.

"Look, I'm pretty sure you know by now that she has felt my 'anger' when I see someone I know that likes her getting close to her, I haven't felt anything from her in that aspect. She just doesn't see me that way.", Levi said.

"Hmm, is ironic how two people so similar, that even with a shared bond, are terrible at communicating with one another.", she said.

"It's clear, and we don't need to talk about it. Now, let's talk about you, you said double date, did Erwin finally man up and asked you out?"

Hanji gasped at his question, "How did you know?!"

"It's kind of obvious like you said 'you are crazy about each other'.", Levi said mockingly.

"Well yes. We are dating and we are making it official, I wanted to tell you first so you hear it from me, because that's what friends do."

"Well, it was about damn time!", he said.

"That's what happens when you have the guts to actually have 'the talk'.", she said.

"As I said, we have nothing to talk about that aspect."

"Oh really?", Hanji said while raising a brow.

**\----------**

They arrived back from their trip, as they walked Erens horse back to the stable.

"Do you have plans for tonight? I was thinking of spending some time with you and Armin", she said.

"I already have plans, you can go ahead I'm sure you guys will have a good time.", he said.

"More of those 'out of base trips' I guess?", Mikasa said suspiciously.

Eren sighed and said, "Nothing for you to worry about."

"Every time you said something similar to that ends up with me saving your ass because you got into trouble."

"I will be fine, don't worry about it.", he said.

"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid.", she said.

He stared at her in disbelief and said, "I won't."

**\----------**

"So, I told him!", Hanji exclaimed.

"To Levi? That we are together?", Erwin asked.

"Yes! He said that it was about damn time."

Erwin laughed, and said, "He is right about that.", as Hanji walked around his desk to sit on his lap.

She smiled and said, "...and I think, our friend needs a little push in the lovey-dovey department."

Curiously Erwin said, "What do you mean? I thought they were already together."

"I thought so too but, he is a stubborn one, so...", she said while giving Erwin a devilish smile, she continued, "I have a plan."

Erwin looked at her suspiciously but, then, she gave him a small kiss on the lips, defeated he said, "Okay, I trust you."

**\--------**

Knock. Knock.

Armin opens the door to his room and says, "Oh! Hi Mikasa, come in!"

Mikasa enters his room and sat by the corner of his bed as she asked, "So, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"I haven't thought of anything yet, we could do something with Eren too.", Armin said

"I asked him, and he said he already had 'plans'. Do you know anything about his 'out of base' businesses?", Mikasa said.

Armin sighed and said, "I asked him about it a while ago, he said that is better if I didn't get involved so he is probably doing something stupid that will get us all in trouble."

"I knew it! We need to have an intervention and pressure him for an answer.", Mikasa said annoyed.

"He seemed very strong on his stance on not saying anything, you know how stubborn he is."

Mikasa sighed, defeated, she said, "We'll have to keep an eye on him."

Armin, wanting to change the subject said, "We can ask the rest of the squad to see if they have plans so we can all do something together."

"It sounds fun, we could get Connie drunk to make him sing his, now famous, opera."

Armin laughed and said, "You mean the thing he does that sounds like two cats fighting right?"

"Sasha said it sounds like a screaming Titan.", Mikasa said laughing.

**\--------**

A mysterious figure of a middle-aged man with a cane appears in the darkroom, next to the figure of a small woman.

"You are a hard man to find.", Eren said.

The man let out a sinister laugh and said, "Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, old friend?"

Eren moved his gaze to the female figure next to him, "So you've been here all along. I see..."

Annie responded, "Missed me?"

Eren ignored her question and redirected his gaze to the man and said:

"It's time we have a talk, it's been a while, won't you agree, Kenny."


	8. Consequences

"It's time we have a talk, it's been a while, won't you agree, Kenny", Eren said.

Noticing the anger in Erens' words, Kenny said, "Are you still mad about the little incident with your exotic friend?"

"Cut the crap and tell me, what is the name of the other man that was with you in the house that day!?", Eren said.

"Oh, you mean, the mastermind behind it all?"

Eren clenched his fists as he said, "So he was the one who planned everything... I see..."

"Yes, your exotic friend will never be safe as long as he lives.", Kenny said.

"I need to confirm his name, and I will take care of the rest.", Eren said clenching his jaw.

"Hmmm, let's make a deal shall we, I bet, you already know the name of the man, and you are just looking for confirmation. What makes you think you can win a fight against Humanity Strongest?"

"What do you want!?"

"You see, I have a feeling that he would find a way to get close to your oriental friend to finish what he already started all those years ago, tell me, is he getting close to your exotic friend?"

"I just want to protect her!", Eren shouted.

"So she is close to him then.", Kenny said.

"How can I stop him?"

"You see, that man owes me a lot of money. We can take care of him for you.", he said pointing at himself and Annie.

"I'm listening"

**\--------------------**

They were having lunch at the mess hall when they noticed all the new faces of new recruits staring at them and murmuring to each other.

Armin sighed and said, "Do you guys remember when we were them?"

"I don't think we stared at the elite team as annoyingly as them right now.", Mikasa said.

"I guess that's why they always ate at the Castle's kitchen, this is getting annoying.", Jean said.

"I never thought there would be so many new faces, it makes me feel old.", Sasha said.

Suddenly, Connie entered the mess hall to join them as the rest of the gang stared at him in confusion.

"Connie, are you alright?", Mikasa asked.

Annoyed Connie answered, "Yes, why!?"

"You are walking like you have something up your ass!", Jean shouted.

"Shut up horse face!", Connie shouted.

Sasha gave Connie a suspicious look and said, "Don't tell me you forgot to do your laundry again and remembered about it when you had no clean underwear left?!"

"Shut up Sasha!", Connie said.

"Oh! So you are going commando right now?", Jean asked.

"I will do the laundry after training today, alright!", Connie said.

"You know that we have ODM training after lunch right?!", Armin said to Connie.

Jean snorted laughing and said, "After that, I am pretty sure you will lose your manhood."

"Seriously Connie, I still don't know how you are still alive without adult supervision after all this time.", Sasha said jokingly while Connie gave them a death stare.

**\-----------**

"This right here is how we are going to kill two birds with one shot.", Hanji said while giving a folder to Erwin.

"What is this?", He asked.

"That is the personal file of one of the new recruits."

Erwin opened the file and started reading it, "I see... We need more information about this girl since she is from the underground."

"Exactly, since this is directly related to Levi's interests, I bet, he would want to be the one to talk to her."

"That's what I thought.", Erwin said lost in thought.

"So, you can meet with him and tell him that she will be doing stable duty this afternoon. That way, he can just meet with her casually and get answers.", Hanji said excitedly.

"Why do I have the feeling that there is something more in this plan of yours?", Erwin asked suspiciously.

"Well, you just make sure that he is talking to her at the stables by that time, I will take care of the rest.", Hanji said with a wide grin.

**\-----------**

Walking to the training room, Jean, Sasha, and Connie met with Eren.

"Oi! Are you going to the training room too?", Connie said.

"I need to keep my mind distracted", Eren said.

"I haven't seen you around much, is Hanji taking up so much of your time now?", Sasha asked.

"No, since she started the bond experiments she had barely seen me.", Eren said.

"Oh! That's right, you were replaced by Humanity Strongest couple.", Jean said.

"Couple?!", Eren asked clenching his fists.

"That's how people are calling them since the bond rumors started to spread around.", Jean said.

"They will never be a couple, I will not allow it.", Eren said.

With a sarcastic tone, Jean said, "Really? And how exactly are you going to 'not allow it' when even in your Titan form you can't even stand a chance against Humanity Strongest. Next to him, you are pathetic."

"Pathetic?!", Eren shouted, "I'll show you how 'pathetic' I can be."

Eren punched Jean in the face and they started fighting while Connie and Sasha tried to stop the fight. The struggle let them smash open the training room door.

**\-----------**

**Levi P.O.V.**

Since Hanji's experiments started, I haven't had much time to physically train. The experiments end up feeling like physical training sometimes, you can feel the exhaustion on every muscle, but, the burn of a good workout is something I've been missing for a while. Also, it helps me to distract my brain away from her. So I had a quick lunch and headed to the training room.

I started punching the sandbag trying to focus only on the feeling of it against my fists.

Punch. Punch.

The angle of my arms while I throw the punch.

Punch. Punch.

Her skin, her touch...

Punch. PUNCH.

Her face screaming my name between moans while I am inside of her.

PUNCH. PUNCH.

_Fuck_

I had to suddenly sit on the floor to hide ANOTHER erection thanks to her.

While pinching the bridge of my nose I thought, _think of something ugly, think of something ugly_

Apparently, the sudden movement to the floor and the look on my face worried some cadets who were near me in the training room.

"Captain! Are you okay!", One of them shouted.

"Yeah, headache", I responded dismissively.

"You should go to the Infirmary we can help you get there"

"Is not that serious", I said as I closed my eyes.

_Think of something ugly, think of something ugly_

Suddenly I hear the door of the gym slammed and a lot of noise. I still kept my eyes closed. _These fucking brats._

 _Think of something ugly, think of something ugl_ y

Punch sound, kick sound

 _Think of something ugly, think of something ugl_ y

"Guys Stop!", Connie's voice.

Punch sound

"Say it again!?', Erens' voice.

 _Think of something ugly, think of something ugl_ y

"Get off me you psychotic freak!", Jean's voice.

 _Think of something ugly, think of something ugl_ y

"Wait! No! Eren stop!", Sasha's voice.

 _Think of something ugly, think of something ugl_ y

"I just said what everyone is rumoring! Is not even something to get mad for!", Jeans voice.

 _Think of something ugly, think of something ugl_ y.

**Author P.O.V.**

Punch. PUNCH. Gasp.

"Ahh!", Jean screamed.

Sasha and Connie were trying to stop the fight. In the middle of the struggling, Sasha slipped and started to fall causing her to hold on to dear life on the first thing she found which was Connie's pants. At the same time, Jean lost his balance and grabbed Connies' upper body to try and steady himself but ended up falling forcing Connie to bend.

Levi still had his eyes closed thinking, _Think of something ugly, think of something ugl_ y.

The struggle sounds finally annoyed him enough for him to open his eyes...

... and with Sasha causing his pants to pull down and Jean forcing him to bend...

Levi saw Connie's exposed ass staring back at him right in front of his face.

 _Well, that worked...,_ he thought as he was now able to stand up safely to get out of whatever weird shit that was going on there.

**\-----------**

"So, how was lunch.", Hanji said.

"Nothing out of the ordinary.", Mikasa said.

"Traumatic.", Levi responded.

Mikasa and Hanji looked at him in confusion, as he said, "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Still looking at him suspiciously but not wanting to push more the subject, Hanji said, "Well, after we are done today I need you to go to Erwin's office. There is something he wants to discuss with you.", She moved her gaze to Mikasa and said, "And I need you to stay a little longer, I have to take your blood samples."

"So what kind of crazy shit are you going to put us through today?", Levi asked.

"Today I just have some questions for both of you.", Hanji said.

They both sat down as Hanji started, looking at Mikasa, "So, Mikasa, tell me, are you two getting along better?"

**\---FlashBack----**

Mikasa is in her room feeling depressed, with pain in her lower back and her lower abdominal area.

Suddenly someone knocks at her door.

"Come in.", She said.

Levi opens the door and closes it behind him. Staring at her he said, "Is this going to happen every month?!"

"Yes, this is the women's monthly payment to the gods of the patriarchy.", Mikasa said.

Levi sat next to her on the corner of her bed, and sarcastically said, "So thanks to the bond I have to feel shitty once a month too, great."

"You can go far away and you won't feel any of it.", Mikasa complained.

Levi stared at her and said, "Nonsense, now I also have an excuse...", and while giving her a box of chocolates and pain reliever pills, he said, "...to eat chocolate like it's the end of the world once a month."

Watching the box of chocolates, Mikasa got emotional and wanted to cry when Levi said, "Don't! I already feel shitty thanks to your PMS, don't add crying to the mix! How the hell do women deal with all this crap, it makes me glad to have a penis."

Mikasa laughed at his words and he said, "That's better."

**\----End of** **Backflash** **\-----**

"We are getting better, there are some interesting parts of him that I never thought I would get to see.", Mikasa said jokingly looking at him, while he gave her an 'if-you-tell-her-something-I'll-kill-you' look, she continued, "It's been interesting."

**\------**

"Hanji said you wanted to talk to me.", Levi said.

"Yes, we can talk while we walk.", Erwin said.

"Where are we going?"

"The stables."

"What for?"

Erwin gave Levi the personal file of one of the trainees and said, "Because she will be there, and I bet you will have a lot of questions for her."

Confused Levi opened the file and said, "She comes from the underground, I see... I don't recognize that name but you are right, I have a lot of questions."

They arrive at the stables and Erwin said, "Well, I'll leave you to it."

Levi walked into the stables looking for the girl in charge of stable duty at that moment. He saw her back while she was shoveling he said, "That is not the correct way to do it brat!", the girl turned to look at him with a smile on her face.

Levi stared at her in shock then he said, "What the hell are you doing here?! And why did you changed your name, Isabel?!"

"Because you wouldn't let me join the Survey Corps if you saw my name in the first place!", She complained.

"I gave you and Farlan citizenship so you two could live a long life outside of the underground! Not for you to commit suicide joining the Survey Corps!", Levi shouted.

"Yes you did, but then, we didn't hear from you! We missed our brother so here we are!", Isabel complained.

"Farlan is also here?!", Levi said in disbelief.

"Yes, and we have heard rumors of the possible reason why you disappeared from us.", Isabel said jokingly, "So, when are we going to meet this girl?!"

"We are not... Just...", Lost for words Levi said, "Just come here you stupid brat!", as he pulled her closer to give her a hug, he said, "I've missed you guys too."

**\----------**

"Hanji are we done?", Mikasa said.

"Yes, but I need you to help me get something from the stables.", She said.

Mikasa grunted in protest but she followed her.

Getting closer to the stables Mikasa saw Levi talking to a beautiful girl.

"Hanji, who is that?", Mikasa said.

"Oh, she is one of the new recruits, she's been asking for Levi since she joined, I think she has a crush on him.", Hanji responded.

Mikasa clenched her fists as she saw Levi pulling her closer for a hug.

**\--------**

**Levi** **P.O.V.**

I was hugging Isabel when I felt an anger that wasn't mine. The source of the anger was behind me and it was directed straight to Isabel. _What the fuck is this?,_ I thought.

"There is a girl behind you that looks like she wants to kill me right now.", Isabel said.

Without letting go of Isabel I said, "Describe her."

"She has black hair dark eyes pale skin, and she is with a woman with glasses and red messy hair in a ponytail."

I smirked and said, "Well, that is the girl of the bond that you heard of."

Isabel excitedly said, "Oh! So you are not letting me go to make her jealous?! I can grab your butt, I'm sure she will be able to see it from that distance."

"What the-! No! I'll just talk to her, and stop giving me that look!", I scolded her as she giggled.

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Levi let go of Isabel and turned to walk towards Mikasa and Hanji. He was walking with his arms crossed over his chest and looking straight at Mikasa with a confused face.

"So, I forgot I have to meet with Erwin, I have to go!", Hanji said.

"No! Wait! What about the stable thing!", Mikasa said trying to get her to stay.

"Erwin can help me later with that, bye Mikasa!", She said as she gave Levi a devilish smile on her way.

Levi stopped in front of Mikasa and said, "Are you jealous?"

"What! No! Why?!", She answered.

"Because I felt a rage irradiating from you when I was hugging her.", he said pointing back to where Isabel was.

"What makes you think the anger was because of that?!", Mikasa said.

"So, you are telling me, that I can go back to her and ask her for a date and you will be fine with it?", Levi asked while raising a brow.

"Yes!", Mikasa shouted.

"Alright.", Levi said while turning to walk back to Isabel when Mikasa grabbed him by the wrist.

"I don't feel comfortable with you asking her out.", She said.

"So you really are jealous!", Levi said.

"No!" I just don't like it!", She said.

"So, you don't want me to be with anyone then?", Levi said.

"I just-", Mikasa said when Levi cut her short.

"Mikasa do you want to be with me? Because what I felt from you was clearly jealousy.", Levi asked.

"And how do you know!?", Mikasa shouted.

"Because that's exactly how I feel every time someone, that I know that has an interest in you, gets close to you. I get jealous because I want to be with you.", Levi said.

"Then why were you hugging her!", Mikasa shouted.

"For the same reason you hug Eren.", Levi said.

Mikasa was lost for words clenching her fists but out of arguments when Levi asked, "Mikasa, what do you want?"

She closed her eyes and said, "You."

Levi grabbed her hand and got close to her and said, "Do you want to be my girlfriend? And that means that I could kiss you and hold your hand without hiding."

At the realization of what he meant Mikasa's stance stiffened. Noticing this, Levi said, "I see... you still have feelings for Eren right?"

Confused Mikasa said, "I... don't know..."

Levi kissed her hand and said, "Well, I do know what I feel for you, I can't hide it anymore. But if you don't feel the same way, then, I can't do this anymore, it's not healthy.", then he turned and left.

Mikasa felt a hole on her chest as she watched him go while she was frozen in place. Part of her wanted to stop him from leaving but she didn't, she just watched as he left.

She started walking to her room when she realized that she was crying. She started to walk faster when she saw Eren, Armin, and Sasha down the hall. She passed by them with her head low trying to hide her tears but it was already too late.

"Mikasa what's wrong?!", Eren shouted.

Mikasa just walked past him and ignored him, finally arriving at the door of her room. She got into her room as fast as she could and closed the door behind her.

Eren was about to knock on her door when Sasha stopped him, and said, "I think this is one of those times when she needs to talk to another girl and not with her overprotective brother."

Eren gave her a death stare but she pushed him away from the door as she knocked.

"Mikasa is me, Sasha, I am here if you need to talk."

Eren shouted, "I am here too!"

"Go away Eren! Leave her to me!", Said Sasha.

Mikasa opened the door grabbed Sasha's wrist and pulled her inside the room closing the door behind her fast. When Armin saw the interaction he pulled Eren out of her door and said, "It looks like girl stuff, give her space."

Grunting in protest Eren left with Armin.

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

I pulled Sasha into my room desperate to talk with someone that will not judge me. Sasha has been a good friend to me, and even though she knows, mostly everyone, I know that if I tell her a secret she will keep it quiet.

"So, I'm listening.", She simply said as she sat on the corner of my bed.

I was pacing around my room when I said, "I don't even know where to start."

"Start from the beginning. I have the rest of the day and night for you.", She said.

"Well, you know, I've always loved Eren..."

"It's obvious, everyone knows that.", Sasha said.

"You can't tell anyone what I am about to tell you.", I said giving her a warning look.

"My lips are sealed, talk.", Sasha said.

"This bond thing, how it happened, it wasn't when he saved me from that Titan... I mean, yes that's a part of it, but what activated it wasn't that particular event.", I said struggling to say the rest.

"I see that you are struggling to tell me, so let me give you a secret of mine that you can't also tell anyone, so it's easier for you to trust me.", Sasha said.

"Go on...", Mikasa said raising a brow.

"I slept with Connie the night of the party we had about our last expedition.", Sasha said.

"I slept with Levi that night.", I said.

Sasha yelped excited and said, "Ever since that night we have been sleeping together every now and then."

"We are sleeping together every night.", I said.

Sasha smiled and said, "I think I am having feelings for Connie."

Mikasa sighed and sat by her side and said, "I can't get him out of my head. When we slept together, that night, we were drunk and we didn't remember what exactly happened until the night of the next day. He came to my room to clarify, he wanted to be sure that I was okay... Then... Eren knocked at my door, I told Levi to hide, and then Eren tells me that he loves me and that he wants to be with me. The confession I was waiting for my entire life..."

"Do you want to be with him Mikasa?", Sasha asked.

"I don't know! All I know is that I can't stop thinking about Levi. He always takes care of me, always making sure of how I feel with him. Eren is all about him, how he feels around me. Even when I worry about him is all about how he feels, if he doesn't like that I worried about something he throws a tantrum. But Levi... When I worry about him he just makes sure that I don't have to worry anymore...", I said.

"I think you do know what you want.", Sasha said.

"Levi told me he wanted to be with me, and I just... I panicked... Then he told me that he couldn't keep doing this anymore and I can't stop crying, my chest hurts... And I feel like a stupid emotional piñata that is about to burst", I said.

"What are you scared of? What is blocking you from being with the person that makes you happy? Is it Eren or that is the excuse you are using to run away?"

"I don't want to hurt Eren..."

"But you are hurting yourself... You have been there for him all of his life. When was the last time you did something for you, solely for you?", Sasha asked.

I was lost in thought and realized, everything I have done has been for him. I joined the Survey Corps for him, I joined the elite team for him. I've risked my life to save him many times, every action revolves around his wellbeing rather than mine, ever since the day he saved me and his family took me in.

"I think it's time for you to start taking care of yourself... If Eren really loves you he would want you to be with whoever makes you happy.", Sasha said.

"You think he will see it that way?", I asked.

"In the beginning, he might put on a fight, but in the end, he will have to accept it. But just so you know, I'll kill him if he gets too problematic so you won't have to get your hands dirty.", Sasha said making me laugh.

"So you and Connie huh?", I said teasing her.

"Yes, I can tell you all about it, but if I were you, I would be running to someone's office right now. It's not like you get a chance with a hottie like Mr. Humanity Strongest all the time right?", She said.

At her words, I panicked, "What if I'm too late?"

"If you keep second-guessing yourself it will be!", She said pulling me by my wrist and pushing me out of the door of my room and she said, "Go, NOW!"

**\------**

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Mikasa walked quickly to Levi's office and froze in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

"Name and Purpose!", She heard him yell.

She didn't answer him, she opened the door and let herself in. He was sitting at his desk looking down at some papers when he said, "Hanji you have to stop letting yourself inside my office like you own the damn place!"

"I don't own the place but I want to own the owner of it.", Mikasa said.

Levi froze at her words and slowly moved his gaze from his papers to her. He looked at her confused as he stood from his chair and crossing his arms he said, "What do you mean?"

Mikasa locked the door and said, "How did you know?"

He looked at her confused and said, "know what?"

"That you wanted to be with me? How did you know?", She said as she got close to him.

He sighed and said "Mikasa...", then he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer as he said, "Because I can't stop thinking of you.". He pulled his face closer to her until their noses were touching and he said, "because you make me vulnerable". He kissed her as he tightened his grip on her waist he said, "because you make me want to be the best version of myself for you".

He slowly pushed her back until she was against the wall and he said, "because you drive me crazy". He kissed her and said, "because you challenge me". He kissed her neck and whispered to her ear, "because I can't stand the thought of you being someone else's". He bit her neck and said, "because I'll be proud to call you, mine", another bite, "and even more proud if you say I'm yours".

He then gave a step back and looked at her and said, "Does that answer your question?"

Mikasa, lost for words, stared at him and nodded, then she said, "I want this... us..."

Levi pulled her close to him and said, "so, no more hiding?"

"No more hiding.", She said.

"And you will be mine?", he whispered to her ear.

"I am yours and you are mine.", She whispered back.

He smirked and said, "Stay with me tonight."

"Only tonight?"

He hugged her and said, "Tonight and always."

**\------------**

It was almost sunrise when Levi opened his eyes and found her sleeping with her head on his chest. He pulled her closer and whispered, "Good morning slacker."

Mikasa grunted in protest as she said in a sarcastic tone, "You are so romantic."

"That's precisely why you'll never get bored of me.", He said.

Mikasa smiled at him and said, "You are right, I might get angry at you, and try to kill you from time to time, but, I'll definitely never get bored of you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, you will, you would never see it coming. I might tie you to bed first.", She said teasingly.

"Now I really want to see you try."

Mikasa laughed and hugged him. They stayed like that for a while then she said, "Can you give me, at least, one day before we do anything public?"

"You can take more than that, I am pretty sure there are some people you want to tell yourself.", Levi said.

"Yes, I want Eren and Armin to hear it from me. They are the closest thing I have to family."

"As I said, you can take more than a day, and if you need me there, I'll be there."

"I will do it today to get it over with, I don't want you fooling around hugging random girls.", Mikasa said teasingly.

Levi stared at her amused and said, "The name of the girl from the stable is Isabel, I'll introduce you two. She wanted to meet you."

Mikasa looked at him incredulously and said, "Why did she want to meet me? I was staring at her like I wanted to kill her."

Levi laughed and said, "You'll understand once you meet her. Now, you should go to your room if you don't want us to go public by letting everyone know that you slept here with me."

Mikasa grunted in protest and Levi said, "Do you want me to kick you out of bed? Because it wouldn't be the first time brat!"

Mikasa rolled her eyes at him and got out of bed. Before leaving his room, she saw that Levi had his eyes closed so she grabbed a pillow and threw it on his face, and ran out of the door. The last thing she heard was a "What the-", cut out by the sound of the door closing.

**\------------**

Grabbing her breakfast at the Castle's kitchen Eren approached her with a suspicious look and arms crossed over his chest as he asked Mikasa, "Where the fuck were you last night?"

"Why do you ask?", Mikasa said with her emotionless expression.

"Because I knocked at your door last night and you never answered.", He said.

Suddenly Sasha arrived and placed her arm over Mikasa's shoulders and said, "She stayed with me, do you have a problem with that you moody shifter?"

"Tsc", he said.

"What?! Are you scared that I will steal her away from you?", Sasha said.

"Is not like she is into girls.", Eren said.

"And how would you know? Last time I checked I was still pretty hot, and as a woman, I know what a woman likes.", Sasha teased.

Eren looked at Mikasa in shock and Mikasa shrugged and said, "She is not saying any lies there."

Eren looked at them in disbelief and left to join the rest of the gang on their table.

Sasha laughed and said, "Did you see his face!? That was priceless!"

Sasha then, saw Levi serving his breakfast behind them and said, "I bet Eren is telling everyone at the table about our lesbian escapade last night."

Levi almost spits out the tea he was drinking making Mikasa look backward at him. He mouthed to her "what!?", and she just shrugged and said, "I could be a multifaceted person", and she left for the table with Sasha's arm around her shoulders leaving Levi almost drowning in his tea.

When they sat at the table they snorted laughing.

**\--------**

Knock. Knock.

"Come in!", Armin said.

Mikasa slipped into his room and said, "Good, you are alone."

Armin looked at her confused and said, "Huh?"

"I need to tell you something.", Mikasa said nervously.

"Go on.", Armin said suspiciously.

"I... I am with someone...", She said.

"So it's true then.", Armin said surprised.

"True what?!", Mikasa asked panicked.

"That you and Sasha-"

"No!", Mikasa cut him off.

"And is not Eren either right?", Armin said suspiciously.

"It's not Eren...", Mikasa said.

"So is Levi then, right?", Armin said.

Mikasa just nodded in panic.

"And judging for the lack of screams and shifter explosions, I assume Eren still doesn't know.", Armin said frustrated.

Mikasa nodded again in panic.

Armin sighed, "Somehow I knew this day would come."

"I don't even know how to tell him.", Mikasa finally said.

"I might have an idea on how to approach this. But forget about him for a moment. Are you happy with Levi?", Armin asked.

"Yes, that is why I don't want to hide it anymore. I want to be with him without worrying that someone might catch us or worse. I don't want any drama.", Mikasa said.

"You know that we are talking about Eren right? The same Eren that can be the queen of drama right?", Armin said.

"I know!", Mikasa groaned frustrated.

"Well, fuck it, if you are happy with him and he treats you well, I am good. I will help you babyproof the news for our shifter friend.", Armin said jokingly

**\-----------**

"Hi, Eren, my dear friend.", Mikasa said.

"Why the hell did you guys want to meet here?", Eren asked.

**\---FlashBack----**

"First we need to find a place isolated, just in case he shifts out of anger we reduce the number of casualties of the explosion.", Armin said.

"But the stables? We can kill the horses!", Mikasa said.

"He would be way more suspicious if we tell him to meet in some random isolated field, he will arrive defensive, to begin with!", Armin said.

**\----- End of** **Flashback------**

"Because you love horses, look at all of those pretty horses.", Mikasa said in a panicked voice right when a horse decided to take a shit.

Eren looked at his two friends in confusion when Armin said, "I thought it would be a good idea to go on a ride after we talked, that's why we are here."

"Alright...", Eren said.

"Well, Eren, I will tell you two statements, one is true, the other one is false. You decide which one is true.", Mikasa said.

"Huh?", Eren said confused.

**\------FlashBack-------**

"Next, we have to give him an impossible choice where he decides that the best option to be true is that you are in a relationship with Levi.", Armin said.

"How do I do that?", Mikasa said.

"You will give him the following two options and tell him that he gets to decide which one is true.", Armin said.

**\------ End of** **FlashBack-------**

"The first statement is that Hanji told me that I have an incurable disease and I have only three months left before I die.", Mikasa said.

"What!?", Eren yelled.

"The second statement is that I am in a relationship with Levi Ackerman.", Mikasa said as she closed her eyes bracing herself for an explosion, she said, "You decide which of the two statements that I just gave you is true."

Eren clenched his fists and stared at Armin suspiciously and said, "I bet my neck, that this was your idea."

"Just choose one Eren.", Armin said.

Eren looked at Mikasa and said, "You will not die in three months...", he stopped, waiting for Mikasa to open her eyes when she did he continued, "...and you are NOT in a relationship with Levi Ackerman."

"Eren that's not how it-", Armin said when Eren cut him short.

"Shut up Armin! This is not a game!", Eren yelled.

"It's her life, she is happy with him you don't get to decide that stuff for her!", Armin yelled back

Eren looked straight at Armin and said, "So you are okay with her being with a fucking psychopath that can actually hurt her!?"

"What the fuck are you talking about, he literally jumped into a Titans' mouth just to save her?!", Armin yelled.

Eren clenched his jaw and started walking away from them. While Mikasa followed him saying, "Eren! Talk to me! Please don't do anything stupid!"

Noticing that Mikasa was far away from Armin now, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to walk to her room.

"What the fuck are you doing Eren! Let her go!", Armin yelled as he ran to them.

"Stay away from this! I need to talk to her alone!", Eren shouted.

"You don't have to pull her around!", Armin yelled trying to free Mikasa out of his grasp.

Eren punched Armin in the face making him fall to the ground, blood was coming out of his nose as Mikasa yelled, "What is wrong with you! Let me go!"

"Not until I talk to you alone!", Eren yelled

He pulled her all the way to the hall where her room was while Armin was still struggling to free Mikasa from his grasp. Sasha and Connie saw the struggle and joined to help.

"Eren let her go!", Sasha yelled.

"Fuck off Sasha! This is between me and Mikasa!", Eren yelled.

"You are acting like a crazy maniac, let her go!", Connie yelled.

Eren pushed Sasha to the ground making Connie run to her. He then pushed Armin to the wall and got in her room with Mikasa and locked the door.

"Connie, we have to tell Levi, he is not acting like a normal person right now, Mikasa is in danger!", Sasha said crying.

Connie nodded and ran to Levi's office. Arriving at his office, he didn't even knock, he slammed the door open and yelled, "Mikasa is in danger! Eren locked himself up with her in her room and he is not acting rationally!"

At his words, Levi ran out of his office with Connie straight to her room.

**\----------**

"Why him!?", Eren shouted.

Mikasa just stared at him with her back against the wall.

He got close to her and punched the wall right next to her face as he screamed, "I asked you a fucking question!"

Mikasa didn't answer, she was staring at him in shock.

"What does he have that I don't!?", He yelled.

"Eren...", Mikasa said trying to find the right words but she couldn't say anything else.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him while placing his forehead against hers, he said: "Do you even know who he is?!"

He tightened his grip on her waist and yelled, "Is that stupid bond stronger than all the memories of a fucking life we have together?! You will always be mine, I will never let him take you away!"

He pinned her against the wall and tried to kiss her when Mikasa pulled him away. He quickly got close to her again and held her wrists with one hand up against the wall so she wouldn't push him back. He grabbed her from the waist with his other hand and screamed, "look at me when I am talking to you!"

Mikasa looked at him scared. He sighed and placed his forehead against hers and he said, "have you ever asked him about his past?!"

"What do you mean?", Mikasa asked.

"That's not for me to tell, ask him! Let's see if he has the balls to tell you the truth!", Eren yelled.

"What are you talking about!?", Mikasa said while trying to break free her wrists.

"Ask him, besides, whether he tells you or not I will make sure that you know. I will not let him hurt you again!", He yelled.

"Again?! What are you talking about! Your emotions are clouding your judgment! Let me go!", Mikasa shouted.

Suddenly the door was smashed open from a kick from Levi, breaking the lock.

Levi grabbed Eren by the neck and pulled him away from Mikasa. He smashed him against the wall effortlessly. Then, with one hand on his pocket and the other with a tight grip around his neck he calmly said, "I am not even angry at you and I can easily break your neck with one hand.", Levi stared at him gasping for air, and he continued, "If you are struggling now when I am calmed, trust me, the last thing you'll want is to push me further."

Levi, then, released his neck making Eren fall to the floor gasping for air. He then walked to Mikasa and saw that she was crying. He gently cleaned the tears from her face and said, "let's get out of here."

He grabbed her hand, interlaced their fingers, and started walking with her towards the, now broken, door, when Eren shouted, "Where are you taking her you psycho!? Don't you fucking hurt her!"

Levi stopped, and turned to face him, he crouched next to him and said, "I would never hurt her, and I am pretty sure you don't have the moral grounds to say the same thing. If you want to look at someone who has, then, I suggest you take a good look at the mirror."

He then walked out of the room with Mikasa.

"Are you alright?", Connie asked Sasha.

Shaking, Sasha said, "Connie, look at the spot where Levi smashed Erens' head effortlessly."

When Connie looked at it, he saw the wall cracked, and he said, "I guess the Humanity Strongest title is more real than what we thought."

Suddenly Jean arrived and shouted, "What the fuck happened here!?"

"Eren and Levi had a fight.", Armin said.

"Fight? More like, Eren had a tantrum and Levi just gave him a Humanity Strongest style slap.", Connie said.

Jean looked at the broken door, the cracked wall, and Eren still on the floor and he said, "I told you that against him you look pathetic."

Eren gave him a death stare as he stood up, pushed him aside, and walked out of the room.

**\-------**

"Did he hurt you?", Levi asked Mikasa looking for signs of wounds on her.

"I am fine.", Mikasa said.

"Let me see your wrists.", Levi said.

"Levi, I said I am fine.", Mikasa said frustrated.

"I am not asking you as your boyfriend, I am asking you as your Captain.", Levi said in a serious tone.

Mikasa sighed and showed him her wrists, they were bruised and red.

"So he did this in your room right?", Levi said.

"You saw it, why are you asking me?", Mikasa said.

"Because I need to confirm your version to file a report.", Levi said.

"Are you crazy!? If the military police hear about this they will try to claim him back in court to dissect him!", Mikasa shouted.

"Mikasa, it would be a confidential report, only Erwin and some Survey Corps Captains will have access to it. His actions need to have consequences.", Levi said.

Watching the worried look on Mikasas face he sighed and said, "Mikasa, I have saved his life many times, and I don't intend to stop now. He is the last living member of my old squad, and you know that I'm always willing to sacrifice myself for a comrade... and on top of that, he is important to you so that makes him important to me. I'm just asking you to trust me."

At his words, Mikasa calmed down and said, "I trust you, Levi."

Knock. Knock.

"Name and Purpose!", Levi shouted.

"Captain, is Mikasa there with you?", Armin asked.

"Come in Arlert!", Levi said.

Armin entered Levi's office and hugged Mikasa as he said, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What did he do when he locked himself with you in your room?"

"Armin, I am fine try to calm down a little.", Mikasa said.

"Arlert what happened to your nose?", Levi asked.

"Eren punched me when I was trying to get Mikasa out of his grasp.", Armin said.

Levi sighed and said, "I will need your version too, but first, go to the Infirmary to get that nose checked."

Armin nodded and started to walk out when he suddenly stopped and said, "Levi, I am glad that my sister has you in her life. I know with all of this drama we haven't had a chance to talk, but, welcome to the family. I bet, that you also know the brother's speech but I'll say it anyway: make her happy, protect her, and if you break her heart, I'll hunt you down and kill you."

"Arlert, have I told you that you are scarier than the shifter and Mikasa combined?", Levi said.

Armin smirked and left the office.

"Can I go to my room?", Mikasa asked.

"Your door is broken, I'll go with you, let's grab some of your stuff so you can stay with me tonight. I don't want you there alone with Yeager around.", Levi said.

**\-------**

"Mikasa are you okay? I heard what happened.", Jean asked.

"I'm fine I'm just picking some stuff up so I can stay with Levi tonight.", Mikasa said.

"With Levi?!", Jean almost shouted.

Levi heard Jean's reaction and smirked as he said, "Yes Kristein, she is staying with me tonight, do you have a problem with that!?"

"No Sir! I didn't know that you had two beds in your room Sir!", Jean said.

Levi smiled and said, "I don't."

Mikasa seeing Jeans' confused face said, "Yes Jean, Levi and I are together."

"Like a couple?", Jean asked nervously.

"Like she's my girlfriend and I'm her boyfriend kind of couple, do you need a map becau-", Levi said when Mikasa cut him short.

"Yes Jean, together like a couple.", Mikasa said and while giving a warning look to Levi she said, "No maps needed."

"What she said.", Levi said.

"Oh! Well, I understand now the mess in your room, I bet this happened when you told that to Eren.", Jean said.

"Exactly.", Mikasa said.

"Well, glad you are okay.", Jean said while leaving when Levi shouted, "Oh! and Jean! She is not going to have your babies!", making his face turn full red.

Mikasa asked Levi, "what did you just say?"

"Nothing important.", Levi said smirking.

After getting a couple of Mikasas' personal items and organizing them back in his room. Mikasa asked, "Levi, why did you joined the Survey Corps?"

Levi froze in place at the question and said, "Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity. I want to know more from you. Where are you from? How was your life before joining the Corps? Stuff like that."

Levi tensed at the questions, and Mikasa noticed and said, "You don't have to tell me if it is something that brings back bad memories."

Levi sighed and said, "Mikasa, who I was before joining the Survey Corps is a different person from who I am now. But, still, you deserve to know...", he looked at her and said, "I hope this doesn't change how you feel about me..."

He looked her in the eyes and said, "I wasn't a good person. My uncle found me next to my mother's corpse when I was about to die from starvation when I was 9 years old, he saved me but... He... He was not a good man... Have you heard about the underground?"

Mikasa said, "Yes, is the subterranean city beneath the innermost land in the capital city of Mitras, right?"

"Yes, it is also where poor people die without ever seeing the sun. The rates to go out are ridiculously high, and if you were not a citizen, you had to go back to the underground eventually. Most people there have never seen the sun.", Levi said.

"I've never been there.", Mikasa said.

"And you don't want to be, trust me, laws don't apply down there, crime is the way of living. My uncle was in charge of mostly all of the drug distribution in the area, eventually, he gave that to me... If you see my personal file it looks like a thick book of crimes. I've done horrible things...", Levi said.

Noticing that he was lost for words to keep going Mikasa said, "I don't care what you did, but I just want you to know, that if you need someone to talk to, you can trust me... Whenever you are ready..."

**\-------**

"Well are you ready?", Levi asked her.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?", Mikasa said.

"Is probably a horrible idea but sounds fun.", Levi said.

Mikasa smiled and said, "Ok, I'm ready."

Levi grabbed Mikasa's hand and interlaced their fingers and they walked together, holding hands, all the way to the mess hall.

Arriving at the mess hall, Levi opened the door and everyone stopped eating and stared at them holding hands. Levi looked at Mikasa and said, "Do you want to rip the bandage?"

She looked at him and said, "Do it."

Levi grabbed her by the waist and kissed her on the lips in front of everyone. When they finished kissing they saw everyone with their jaw dropped as Sasha stood on top of a table and shouted, "It was about damn time!"

And Connie followed shouting, "Humanity Strongest couple! Don't fuck with them!", Making everyone laugh and cheer.

While another cadet shouted, "You are damn right! They are as public as Connie's ass now! But they are way prettier!",

"Who said that!?", Connie shouted but his voice was drowned with everyone's laughter.

"Oi! Jean! You had a chance against Yeager but against the Captain... Well, you are screwed.", Connie said.

"I know, at least I didn't end up putting on a show like the one that Eren pulled.", Jean said.

"He will have to just deal with it. We all need to be on the lookout for him, just in case he thinks of doing something stupid like what he did today.", Sasha said.

"Oi! Isabel! Where is Farlan?", Levi asked.

"I'm right behind you.", Farlan said.

"So, you are Mikasa!", Isabel shouted excitedly.

"Mikasa these are Isabel and Farlan.", Levi said.

"Tell me everything! I want to know everything! Does my brother have a 'cutie-lovie' side?", Isabel said teasingly.

"Brother?", Mikasa asked confused.

"We all lived together on the underground, Levi basically took us in and took care of us. If it weren't for him we would probably die a long time ago.", Farlan said.

"The three of us are like siblings, and now I have a sister to annoy Levi even more!", Isabel said pointing at Mikasa.

Mikasa looked at Levi and said, "I like her."

"Told you.", He said.

"Come here with me I will tell you all the blackmail I have on him.", Isabel said with an evil smile.

"Isabel, don't make me regret having introduced you two!", Levi warned.

"Too late!", She shouted.

"You are screwed.", Farlan said.

"I know.", Levi replied.

**\--------**

"Isabel, Sasha, did you bring the ingredients?", Mikasa asked.

"Yes Sir!", Isabel said.

"You know that you don't have to greet every person on the elite squad with a 'yes Sir' right?", Mikasa said.

"But Jean said I should!", Isabel said.

"I am going to kill that horse face. Don't listen to him, he probably said it to mess with you.", Mikasa said.

"So are you sure his birthday is today?", Sasha asked.

"Yes, Hanji told me about it, and I confirmed with Erwin and Isabel.", Mikasa said pointing to Isabel.

"That is true!", Isabel confirmed.

"Where are the rest of the guys!", Mikasa asked stressed out.

"Connie and Jean went to get some candles and something to turn on the candles. That's literally what they said.", Sasha said.

"Armin went to get small plates and the knife to cut the cake.", Said Isabel.

"So almost everyone is accounted for, except for Eren.", Sasha said.

"Have you seen him around lately?", Mikasa asked worriedly.

"Not since that day... I've only seen him during training. Apart from that, he is never around...", Sasha said.

Mikasa sighed frustrated, "I guess he'll eventually come around."

"Let's start this!", Sasha shouted.

"Ok Isabel, we are putting all of our hopes and dreams in your hands.", Mikasa said.

"What!?", Isabel yelled.

"Your brother is the only one here who knows how to bake a cake without killing everyone in the Castle with fire. So we thought that you probably knew too since you are his sister.", Mikasa said.

"What! He never let me get even close to the kitchen! He always used different excuses but it always ended up with someone dying in his head.", Isabel said worriedly.

"What about Farlan?", Sasha asked.

"Same...", Isabel said.

"We are here! We have the contraband material.", Jean said jokingly.

"So, how is that cake preparation going?", Connie said.

"We have no idea of what we are doing!", Isabel said.

"Check the box, it usually has instructions.", Jean said.

"Levi made it look so easy last time!", Connie said.

"Give me that!", Armin said while snatching the box from Mikasa's hands.

They started putting their aprons on and stared at each other. "Levi didn't look like this when he put his apron on!", Jean said.

"I swear, Levi is the only man that can make, baking a cake while wearing an apron and oven mittens, look manly.", Connie said.

"Let's start mixing the ingredients.", Armin said.

"Sasha, the eggshells are not part of the recipe!", Armin scolded her.

After a lot of fighting, scolding, and yelling. They all stared at the thick liquid in the container that was ready to go to the oven. They all sighed as Armin said, "Well, is oven time let's see how it goes."

"How much time do we have to keep it in?", Mikasa asked.

"Around 30 minutes says here.", Armin said.

They all sighed and sat down in front of the oven to wait.

**\----45 minutes later------**

"You said that you are finally wearing your clean underwear, but at the ODM training camp, everyone saw when you got stuck on that tree and your pants pulled slightly down showing pink underwear! Are you using Sasha's panties!?", Jean said to Connie teasingly.

"It's not my fault that a red sock got mixed with my white clothes and now everything is pink!", Connie shouted.

"Guys, what is that smell?", Mikasa asked.

They all looked at the oven and black smoke was coming from it. They all ran to get the cake out, opening the oven while all the black smoke spread to their faces, hair, and clothes.

With their faces black from the smoke, their hairs like they were electrocuted, and the smell of burnt, they all stared at the big black blob in front of them.

"If you squint your eyes enough, and if you have an open mind, you can see that it resembles the shape of a cake.", Sasha said.

"That thing looks horrible.", Isabel said.

"Do you think is alive?", Jean asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me.", Mikasa said.

Armin brought the knife and cut a portion from the top, and said, "I think we can remove the burnt parts of it."

"If we do that it will end up being the size of a cupcake!", Jean said.

"I'll try to do my best.", Armin said.

After cutting parts after parts they all stared at it again.

"It still doesn't look like a cake.", Jean said.

"At least is no longer black.", Mikasa said.

"Maybe we can make it look better with the frosting and decorations.", Sasha said.

**\---------**

Eren slammed open Levi's office door and said, "What makes you think that you can just appear in her life and take her away from me!"

"She is not like a job position you can get just because you have seniority.", Levi said.

"I love her, really love her, you are just using her!", Eren said.

Levi crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow while he said in a sarcastic tone, "Love? Really? The difference between you and me is that you love her for how she makes you feel whereas I love her for how I can make her feel."

Looking at his confused face Levi said, "Instead of thinking of how good you feel around her, you should have thought about how to make HER feel good around you. But now, is too late for you to realize that."

"Stop acting like some sort of hero when we both know who you really are! I remembered, it was you there that day!", Eren shouted.

**\----**

"Sasha, I think it looks worse, now is just a colorful blob.", Mikasa said frustrated.

"Let's just put the candles and go there, the important thing is that is edible, right?", Jean said.

"Alright, did you guys brought something to lit up the candles?", Mikasa asked while Jean and Connie looked at each other with a devilish smile.

"What the hell is that!?", Mikasa shouted.

"It's a flame thrower!", Said Connie and Jean excited in unison.

"We just want to lit up some candles! Not burn the cake again!", Mikasa said worriedly.

"Can you control the flame of that thing?", Armin asked.

"Yes!", Jean said.

"I think we can use it Mikasa.", Armin said.

Defeated, Mikasa said, "Alright, let's go."

They were walking down the hall, Mikasa in the middle holding the cake and everyone else around her. They looked like they had been fighting Titans all day. They got close to Levi's office when they heard two people inside the office having a loud argument.

"You were there! With those men! It was you! I remembered! You were at that house with the old guy and the three men that killed Mikasa's parents, and you were the one who planned all of it! Speak you fucking bastard! I already confirmed it!", Eren said.

"REALLY! You are pointing fingers at me! YOU were the one who sold her, to begin with! I saw you too! You were that fucking kid! No wonder you found the hideout all on your own so fast, because you were there before! You were the one who told my uncle all about Mikasa! I heard the conversation! You even gave him her address! If it weren't for YOU none of it would've happened in the first place! What did he offer you, huh?! Money?! Did your dirty little conscience decided to work at the last minute and decided to rescue her, ending up like some sort of fucked up hero?! Is that why you convinced your parents to take her in because you felt guilty?!"

"Eren... Levi...", Mikasa said staring at both of them in shock.

They looked at her standing at the office door holding the cake in her hands.

They froze looking at her, while Mikasa's hands started shaking as she lost grip of the plate, she said, "Levi... Happy Birth-", she was cut short by the sound of the crystal plate shattering against the floor.

She couldn't control the tears, and she ran away while Armin chased behind her yelling, "Mikasa wait!".

Mikasa stopped in the middle of the outside yard and stared at Armin "Did you know? Did you know about them!?"

"Eren... He told me about Levi recently, I didn't say anything to you because I wanted Eren to confront him first so we could be sure before telling you!"

"You didn't tell me..."- Mikasa said between sobs.

"I've spent, all my life, with this perfect image of the kid who saved me. The kid I owed my life to, all this time I have acted according to that! And now I hear this! And to top it all, I was falling in love with Levi and now he is the one behind my parent's deaths and the attempt to kidnap me to sell me to some pedophile prostitution ring!? No wonder I am so fucked up!", Mikasa yelled crying.

Suddenly, like a fast shadow, someone tackled Armin, throwing him against the floor.

"Long time no see, buddy" - Annie said.

"Mikasa run!"- Armin screamed.

Shocked, Mikasa walked backward only to bump into someone, and before she could react, a hand grabbed her by the neck from her back and another hand stuck a syringe to her neck, knocking her out.

**\--------------**

"Your uncle?", Eren asked.

Levi stares at him with an incredulous gaze.

"You fucking moron, you thought you knew everything and the reality is that you don't know shit! Kenny Ackerman is my uncle!", Levi shouted.

"Your... Uncle... Levi... Did you owe money to your uncle?"

"What! No! What the fuck are you talking about!?"

"Levi... We have to find Mikasa... "

"What the fuck did you do?!"

Suddenly they heard Armin screaming outside, "Mikasa Run!"

They all ran outside and found Armin all bloody laying on the floor, he said "Mikasa! Save her... They took her!. Annie, with other guys, took her!"

Shaking with anger Levi said "Eren... Did you fucking sell her again?! I will fucking kill you!"

"They were supposed to take care of you! Kenny said...", Eren said.

"They? As in Annie and Kenny working together?! How the fuck did they managed to get inside the base in the first place!?", Levi asked.

"Eren... What did you do?!", Yelled Armin.


	9. Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: possible angst ahead, not suitable for people that had been abused.

**\----- Flashback ------**

Walking back to their hideout...

"I still don't understand why you brought three of your men as 'muscle' when at the end of the day, they didn't even join us for the meeting with the client.", Levi said frustrated.

"Listen, kid, a very lucrative side job appeared that I couldn't ignore.", Kenny said.

"Side job?", Levi asked.

Suddenly, they saw Military Police officers near their hideout, "Hide kid!", Kenny said.

"Why the fuck is the Military Police here?!", Levi said.

"It seems that something went really wrong in our little side job.", Kenny said.

"Our? Kenny, what the fuck did you do now?", Levi said.

While walking through the woods to get closer to their hideout Kenny said, "Well you know, that kid that came by today that gave me the information about his friend, well, it turns out that she is an oriental, and as far as I know, it seems like she and her mother are the lasts of her clan, and that exclusivity means money.", Kenny said.

Arriving at the back of the hideout Levi said, "So your target was a nine-year-old? Are you getting into child trafficking now too?!", while Kenny peeked through a window to see inside the hideout.

"Fuck they are dead.", Kenny said as he saw the three dead bodies on the floor. Then he said, "The Military Police is close but, they haven't reached the hideout yet, the kid is right there, we can catch her and kill the boy to finish the job."

"I asked you a fucking question.", Levi said.

"Oh please, don't come now acting all high and mighty to me. Like you have the morals to lecture me about it", Kenny said as he walked to round the house to get the girl. 

Levi grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him on the ground. He started punching him on the face as he said, "Listen to me you old shit, I might have a fucked up moral compass, but there's is a difference between consenting adults choosing to fuck up their lives and people being forced to do whatever fucked up shit their captors desire." 

After Kenny was unconscious on the ground, Levi took out a knife and stabbed his legs. He waited until the military police arrived to make sure the kids were safe. He saw the boy putting a scarf around the girl's neck when an adult, that looked like their father, arrived. Later, the Military Police officers arrived at the scene, and Levi grabbed Kenny by the back of his shirt and dragged his unconscious body deep into the woods behind the house. 

**\----- End of FlashBack-------**

"Tell me everything you know about Kenny."- Erwin said.

Levi sighed and said, "He walks with a cane but we shouldn't underestimate him, he's also an Ackerman and he taught me most of everything I know about fighting."

"So, you are telling me that we are going against Humanity Strongest sensei?!"- Connie said while raising a brow.

"Crippled Sensei."- Levi corrected him.

"What about Annie? Seems like they are working together."- Armin said.

Lost in thought Levi asked Erwin, "Did Mikasa gave you anything in the Female Titan expedition report that might lead to what she was after that time?"

Erwin crossed his arms over his chest and started thinking, "She told me that when the Female Titan was falling, she reached for Erens' neck and had hardened her fingers, or started to, Mikasa cut them, it seemed like she was going for the kill."

"We have seen in experiments that the hardening of a part in a Titan's body occurs really fast, I might have a theory...", Armin said.

"Go on", Erwin instructed.

"It seems that the Female Titan was going for the kill, but stopped hardening her fingers when she realized that Mikasa was covering his nape, otherwise Mikasa wouldn't have been able to cut her fingers. That mission had a high number of casualties where most of them, were caused by the Female Titan, meaning that she didn't mind killing whoever crossed her. Then, why she didn't kill Mikasa? Why did she stop hardening her fingers when she realized that Mikasa was covering Erens' nape? She could've easily killed both of them there.", Armin said.

"So they wanted to kill Eren and keep Mikasa alive, I see..."- said Erwin.

"It seems that the real target, through all this time has been Mikasa.", Armin said worriedly.

"I think he thought that it was easier to take her away without a Titan shifter always hanging around by her side."- Levi said.

"Then why didn't he took her when we were kids back home? It would've been easier then."- Eren said.

"He couldn't, because of Levi."- Erwin said.

"What?!", Eren shouted.

"Levi, care to fill them in.", Erwin said.

Levi sighed and said, "I joined the Survey Corps under one condition: if they provided protection for Mikasa as long as Kenny was alive."

Eren, angry, shouted, "What! But you were there! You were part of those men who planned to kidnap her I saw you!"

"Levi is time for them to know...", Erwin said.

Levi sighed again and said, "Kenny Ackerman is my uncle, he saved me when I was a kid. I was about to die from starvation when he found me, he took me in and, as a summary, fucked my life. He was one of the top drug dealers on the underground, as he started to expand on other illegal activities, he left me in charge of the drug branch operations. We controlled all the transactions of the underground, but he wanted more. He found a contact to start a 'business' outside of the underground. We set a meeting in the same city that you and Mikasa used to live in. He brought three of his 'muscle' men for reassurance. The day I saw you in the hideout I heard you and Kenny talking about another kid. I didn't give it much thought thinking that maybe he was getting information on some hit he got paid to do, and the target could be someone close to the kid. The least I knew about his other 'businesses' the better. When we went to the meeting, he told his three men to stay behind. When we got back we found the military police close by, and we peeked through a window of the hideout and saw the three men dead. That's when he told me what the 'side job' was about. I crippled him at that moment to block him from getting the girl back. Knowing that Kenny would never let go of that 'stain' on his record of 'the one that got away', I met with Erwin and I told him that in exchange for me turning myself in, he would have to promise me to find that little girl and give her protection for as long as Kenny was alive."

"But you are not in jail."- Sasha said confused.

"No, he's not. I was tracking Levi for a long time and I was never able to catch him. He even used ODM gear to escape! He showed remarkable abilities so I gave him a counter offer. I said that if he joined the Survey Corps I would take care of the situation, and he accepted it. I talked to the military police about the events of that day and found Mikasa. Levi told me he didn't want to know who the girl was, that it was enough just knowing that she was safe. I posted Survey Corps on patrol on what it turned out to be the longest classified mission on the history of the Survey Corps, but it was heavily justified by having Humanity Strongest on our side.", Erwin said.

"Wait! So that's why there were Survey Corps always hanging around your house!"- Armin said to Eren.

Ignoring Armin, and looking for a way to antagonize Levi, Eren said angrily, "But you are a killer! You have killed over 20 people confirmed!"

"Is probably more than that. I lost count, to be honest, it comes with the 'business'. Also, that night after I crippled Kenny, I went through his files and found the names of his child trafficking ring contacts. I hunt them down and killed them all. That easily adds around 30 more to that number... I never said I was a saint.", Levi said.

"That means that he probably holds a grudge against you."- Armin said.

Levi nodded at Armin and then looked at Eren and said, "So there you have it Eren, my evil secret, now, what's your excuse? I heard you giving Kenny her information, what did he offer you, money?!"

"I was a stupid nine-year-old excited that I was going to meet a new friend, Kenny overheard my conversation with Armin, he told me that he was going to give us candy so I went with him to the hideout. He told me he wanted to bring candy to my new friend so I gave him the address. When I saw her parent's bodies, I saw on the floor one of the wrappings of the candies that's when I realized what happened. So I went straight to the hideout and you know the rest of the story...", Eren said.

"Alright you were a kid and incredibly stupid, but now you are just incredibly stupid because you fucking did it again, didn't you?", Levi said.

"I thought she wasn't safe with you because I remembered seeing you that day at the hideout. I found Kenny and asked for confirmation about you being involved with the kidnapping plan, and he just made me his puppet. So yes, I am incredibly stupid, I let them in the base thinking that they were going to kill you. But I ended up handling Mikasa on a silver platter to them... If you want to kill me go ahead, I'd rather be dead than living with the knowledge that I caused this shit...", Eren said.

"So, you decided to trust someone, that had already betrayed you before, over me, your Captain. How many times I've saved your life and Mikasa's? Why?!", Levi demanded.

Eren bowed his head and didn't answer.

Levi then, looked at Armin and said, "How the fuck have you put up with this moron without killing him through all this time?"

Armin rested the back of his head against the wall and sighed.

**\----Flashback----**

Kenny is sitting on a bench while he overhears a conversation between two nine-year-old kids. 

"Dad is going to let me go with him tonight"- Eren said to Armin.

"Do you think that she would want to be our friend?"- Armin asked innocently.

"My Dad said so, so it must be true. It will be nice to have her as a friend"- Eren replied.

"Do you think she would like my book?"- Armin asked.

"Of course! My dad said she is an Oriental, I don't know what it means, but I bet that she is smarter because of it, like you!" 

"It would be nice to have a smart friend" 

"What do you mean?" 

With a surprised face, Armin quickly replied, "Nothing" 

"Oi kid! I have some candies on my house that I want to give away, my house is close by, do you want to help me!?", Kenny said. 

"Candies!", Erens' eyes opened wide in surprise, "I would like some!", he said. 

"Eren I don't think you shu-", Armin said when Kenny cut him short. 

"Let's go kid, you can bring some to your friend too", Kenny said. 

"Did you hear that Armin! I will bring you the best ones I find", Eren exclaimed excitedly. 

"Eren...", Armin said but Kenny cut him short again. 

"Come on kid, let's hurry up before someone else takes them.", Kenny said. 

"Yes Sir!", Eren said as he ran behind Kenny. 

"Eren...", Armin sighed, watching his friend go he said to himself, "It would be nice to have a smart friend." 

**\------- End of FlashBack-------**

"It's been challenging.", Armin responded.

"Do you know where he might've taken her?", Erwin asked Levi.

"Definitely the underground, I will go now I still have contacts there.", Levi said.

"I'll go with you, if she gets hurt because of this I wouldn't be able to live with myself.", Eren said.

"You can't turn down there.", Levi warned him.

"I don't care, I just want to help in any way I can.", Eren said.

"I will go too, she is like my sister", Armin said.

"They took Mikasa, and she gives me her potatoes, so technically they took MY potatoes, they are dead men. I am going too!", Sasha stepped forward next to Armin.

"We risk our lives every day out there for humanity, and these group of humans thinks they can take one of our comrades and just get away with it?! We are going too!", Jean said as he and Connie stepped next to Armin and Sasha.

Levi sighed frustrated and Erwin said, "So, should we make this an elite team mission?" 

"No! If we go down there we don't represent the Survey Corps. I, for one, plan to kill everyone that poses a threat to her, and I don't plan on doing it while wearing the wings of freedom. If you are not willing to kill humans without hesitation you should not come. Killing humans is not the same as killing Titans!", Levi said.

"So, you are saying that our Captain is a killer but we can't be? We are willing to kill anyone who poses a threat to one of our comrades, we are going, and since you're not wearing your wings of freedom, I won't either. That means that I am not a cadet and you are not my Captain, so you don't get to decide whether I go or not.", Armin said while taking off his cloak with the wings of freedom.

"Arlert...", Levi said frustrated.

"It's Armin to you, Levi.", Armin said.

Hearing Armin's words, Sasha, Connie, and Jean also took off their cloaks with the wings of freedom while Jean asked, "When are we leaving?"

Defeated Levi said, "Grab your ODM gears, plain cloaks, and anything that could be used as a weapon and meet me at the stables in 15 minutes."

**\-------**

Hanji enters Erwin's office with two huge boxes and said, "I am ready!"

"Hanji what the hell is that?!", Levi asked annoyed.

Erwin looks at her curiously and asks, "Is that your 'baking' toys?"

Hanji yelped excitedly and opened one of the boxes and pulled out a bazooka and says, "This one is my Hangezooka!"

"We are trying to rescue Mikasa not blow her into smithereens!", Levi said staring at her in disbelief and continued, "You know that your toys are not legal right?"

"They might not be legal, but they surely are lethal. Besides, what better place to test them than in the most lawless place that exists.", Hanji said.

Sasha leans to Connie and asks, "Baking toys?"

Connie said, "That's how she labels her most questionable and illegal experiments to try and hide them from the government. From there is where we took the flame thrower."

Jean leans to Connie and says, "Are you thinking what I am thinking?", with a grin on his face.  
Connie nodded at him and they all left to prepare for battle. 

**\------**

Armin arrived at the stables and met with Levi, "Here are the blueprints of the safehouses that we own at the underground, I also included your childhood home property."

Levi nodded as Farlan and Isabel arrived at the stables ready for battle, Levi said, "What are you two doing here?!"

Isabel said, "We heard a rumor that uncle Kenny is misbehaving, and stole our new sister."

"Mikasa is part of the family now so it makes it our business too. Besides, I think you might need more than only one person with experience in the underground if you plan to fight against Kenny.", said Farlan.

Levi stared at them in disbelief when Armin said, "Levi, can I ask you a question?"

"Go on...", Levi said while preparing the horses.

"Why didn't you tell her?", Armin asked.

Levi sighed and said, "You know how Mikasa feels towards Eren because he saved her, right? You know that deep down she feels like she owes him some sort of debt. I would never want her to feel that way towards me."

"Is that also why you didn't even want to know who the little girl was through all of these years?", Armin asked.

"Part of, I guess, deep down, I will always carry the guilt of what I could've prevented if I dug deep into Kenny's 'businesses'. I somehow felt like part of the pigs that did that to her, and since the mission required constant monitoring for her protection, it felt like an invasion of privacy from my part if I knew who she was.", Levi said.

"But the only thing you have done all your life is to keep her safe without her even knowing. You even joined the Survey Corps, something considered as suicide, just to keep her safe. Your 'guilt' is not logical.", Armin said.

"But it still doesn't make it feel less real...", Levi said lost in thought.

Suddenly Eren arrived with gear and plain cloak ready for battle and said, "Armin, do you have a moment?" 

Armin stared at him and said, "Only if is something related to the operative to save Mikasa." 

Eren bowed his head and said, "I just wanted... to apologize to you."

Armin said, "Don't because right now, I don't think I could ever forgive you if anything happens to her."

Eren bowed his head and nodded frustrated. 

Levi, watching their interaction said, "Yeager, keep your mind ready for battle. You have already killed for her before, I will need you to do it again. When we get her back, safe, we can talk about anything else." 

Eren stared at him and showing a newfound determination on his face, he nodded. Then, Sasha, Connie, and Jean arrived with their gears, plain cloaks, and backpacks followed by Hanji and Erwin. 

Everyone stared at Erwin in confusion and he said, "What?! Did you think that I would leave the crazy cadets from the elite team with their crazy Captain and his crazy family, and a crazy scientist run havoc without supervision?!", he stared at them, while they stared back at him lost for words, Erwin said "because if you thought that, you are damn right!", while he took off his cloak with the wings of freedom, then he finished saying, "let's add a crazy commander to that list, let's get our girl back and give them hell!"

"For our comrade!", Sasha said as everyone joined and shouted, "FOR OUR COMRADE!"

**\--------**

Levi, pacing around anxiously, running his fingers through his head said, "They are supposed to be here already!"

"Let's give them a few more minutes, they know this is our meeting place and base of operations for this mission.", Erwin said.

"Besides, they are with Isabel and Farlan, they know their way around the underground.", Hanji said.

**\---FlashBack---**

"We are going to use my childhood home as a base of operations.", Levi said.

"But, won't Kenny expect that?", Armin said.

"No, after I left the underground I listed the property under Farlan's name, he and Isabel lived there until I gave them citizenship. Kenny knew the house was sold, and even before that he never wanted to be even near the house premises since it made him remember his sister.", Levi said

"Also, we have two safe houses we can run to in case of an emergency. We will only use them as a last resource though since Kenny's men sometimes send people to survey those areas to look for any type of activity from the Survey Corps.", Erwin said.

"Alright, we will separate in two groups to enter the underground from the north and south entrance, right?", Armin said.

"Yes, Isabel, Farlan, Jean, Armin, and Connie will enter from the north. Hanji, Erwin, Eren, Sasha and I, will go using the south entrance, the most dangerous one. We have to use our cloaks all the time and hide our identities since we have a couple of celebrities with us that people will easily identify.", Levi said staring at Eren.

"Oh! That's right, all newspapers reported your court case!", said Sasha looking at Eren.

"Exactly. You will all get into the underground and head straight to our base of operations. Isabel and Farlan know how to get there.", Levi said.

**\---End of FlashBack---**

Nervously, and thinking about Connie, Sasha said, "I hope nothing bad happened."

Suddenly the door of the house is slammed open and Isabel gets in and said, "Hello guys, missed me?", behind her were Connie and Jean carrying an unconscious man with Farlan behind them.

They all entered the house and closed the door behind them.

"What the hell happened?!", Levi shouted.

"On our way here we recognized one of Kenny's men passing by, so we knocked him out and here he is.", Farlan said.

"We thought that torture could be the best way to start getting answers.", Isabel said.

Hanji chuckled and said, "Levi, I can totally see the resemblance between you and your siblings now."

"Tsc, did this kidnapping situation attracted the attention of people around?", Levi said.

"I guess so, but I wouldn't worry about it since all the celebrities were in your group.", Jean said.

"You are still a member of the elite squad, newspapers do reports about us all the time!", Levi said worriedly.

Lost in thought Hanji asked, "So, from zero to 'Connie's-ass', how exposed are we?"

"I would say we are half 'Connie's-ass' exposed.", Levi said.

"Can you stop using my ass as a metric!", Connie shouted.

**\----**

**Mikasa P.O.V.**

_What is happening? ,_ I thought when I tried to move my limbs without success. I couldn't move my body or open my eyes, I could only hear some muffled sounds that became clearer little by little.

"I still fucking hate that shifter.", Annie's voice.

"You can kill him if you like, he is no longer of use to us.", Kenny said.

 _Shifter... Eren? no longer of use?,_ I thought.

"I can't believe you made me flirt with him to get close to her when I was a trainee. Ughhh", Annie said.

_That bitch!_

"Well, that plan failed because he ignored you, then the plan to kill him also failed because she was covering his nape. Who would've thought, that he would be the one to deliver her to us in a silver platter.", Kenny said while laughing and continued, "He was so easy to manipulate."

"I still can't believe you were able to manipulate him a second time after all these years.", Annie said.

_Deliver, me? manipulated a second time? How the fuck does Eren know this man to begin with?!..._

"He was blinded by jealousy, the irony of it all is that he thought Levi was the danger here and I was the good guy.", Kenny said laughing.

"Do you think that Levi will try and find her?", Annie asked.

"I know he will, that kid betrayed me for that cunt. He betrayed ME, his family, the one who saved his life, for that little bitch that he didn't even know at the time.", Kenny said gritting his teeth.

"Well, you finally caught her, now you can calm your ego for that one 'job' you weren't able to finish.", Annie said.

_Levi... saved me? He didn't know me?..._

"After all these years of Levi being a pain in my ass protecting this little bitch. I would've loved to see his face when he got the news that I caught her. All the work he put for years, finally crumbled by my hand.", Kenny said.

 _years? What the fuck is going on!..._ _Levi...,_ I thought when I was finally able to move my limbs and open my eyes. My vision was blurry but my hearing was sharp, I listened to their conversation and it left me puzzled. When I tried to move my limbs I found that I was tied to a chair.

"Look, our little sleeping beauty is finally awake.", Said Annie.

"You, fucking traitor...", I responded angrily.

Annie laughed and said, "Are you still angry for those cadets that I killed? Is not my fault they were so weak."

"They were my comrades... Erens' comrades! How could you!", I shouted.

"I could care less about that. Speaking of your precious shifter, I will kill him after the way he left me that day.", Annie said angrily.

"I knew you never really liked him.", I said.

"Ughh, of course not!", Annie said disgustedly, she then stared at me with lustful eyes and said, "Besides, he is the wrong gender anyway."

"Easy there, we are waiting for some clients that paid good money to get a taste of our exotic product here.", Kenny said.

"How many buyers are interested?", Annie asked.

"Many, especially owners of whore houses that provide these type of exotic products for use.", Kenny said.

"Make sure you make them fight to raise their offers for her because I want a good cut after all this trouble. Also, we have to hurry, I am pretty sure Levi won't waste a minute to find us.", Annie said.

"When Levi finds you it will be the end of you two. You don't stand a chance fighting against him.", I shouted.

Kenny laughed and said, "Oh Really? Who do you think that showed him how to fight in the first place huh? It was me, his uncle, the one he betrayed to save your ass. Besides, he will never find us on time, we already have the buyers, and we are selling you tonight. There are a couple of clients that paid to have a taste of you before the sale."

 _He was the one who_ _taught_ _him how to fight?!_ I tried breathing slowly to calm down but it was already late since fear had already started to fill my body _._ The nightmare of my childhood was repeated all over again, _they want to sell me... again..._

**\------**

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Sasha slapped the face of the, now tied to a chair, unconscious man, and said, "Wake up and talk! We don't have time to waste on you!"

The man opened his eyes and found himself tied to a chair with Levi and Eren seated in front of him, and between them, a table with torture tools on it. 

When the man saw Levi he opened his eyes in shock and fear and said, "You! Demon! Get away from me!"

Isabel laughed and said to Levi, "After all these years, you still have a bad reputation in the underground."

Levi stared at the man and said, "We know you are one of Kenny's men. Where is Kenny now?"

"Are you crazy! He will kill me if I tell you!", the man shouted.

Levi then looked at Eren and Isabel and nodded to them. Isabel grabbed a small blade from the table and Eren grabbed a small towel from the small kitchen area, and walked back to stand behind the man. 

Staring at the man, in a calm manner, Levi said, "There is a type of torture that some places believe that it's a form of art, because of the skill it requires to keep the person alive and conscious. The girl in front of you is a very skilled artist on it, she can peel the skin from all your body and keep you alive and conscious for days. Do you know how I know this? Because I was the one who showed her how to do it." He then nodded to Isabel and Eren.

Eren gagged the man with the towel and placed his hand over his mouth to prevent the towel to get out. Isabel reached for the man's hand and placed the sharp blade on his finger, where the nail cuticle begins. Then, she started to peel off the skin down the finger to his hand, causing the man to scream in pain, but his screams were muffled by the towel in his mouth pressed by Eren's hand. Isabel peeled a thin layer of skin and started peeling a second finger, then she stopped. 

When the man stopped screaming Levi nodded to Eren, he removed the towel, and Levi said, "This is just a taste of how it feels, I would love to torture you all night but I am short on time. I would appreciate if you answer now if you don't, the next peeled part will be your balls."

At his words, the man gasped with fear and said, "Listen, Kenny said he had a very lucrative transaction tonight, something about an exotic girl he had been chasing for years. I don't know where he is at the moment, but... I can tell you where the transaction will take place."

"Go on.", Levi said and the man gave the address while Hanji took a note of it. 

Levi then, leaned forward on his chair staring at him intently while the man was avoiding his gaze. Levi said, "There is something else you are not telling me."

The man said, "No! I swear! That is everything I know!"

Levi stared at him suspiciously and said, "Isabel, do the balls."

The man shouted, "No! Stop! There is something else I know! Stop!"

Levi signaled Isabel to move away from the man and said, "Speak!"

The man struggling with the words said, "There are some buyers that paid Kenny a lot to... you know..."

Levi gritting his teeth said, "To what!?"

"To try the product before the sale... That's all I know I swear, I don't know where they are currently located!", The man pleaded.

Levi stood up and punched the man on the face and said, "She is not a product, she is the strongest woman I've ever known, and I won't let ANYONE lay a finger on her. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!", he screamed at the scared man, and the man nodded. 

Levi then nodded to Eren and Isabel, Eren placed the towel inside of the man's mouth again and pressed it with his hand while Isabel grabbed the knife again. Levi said, "Keep peeling his fingers until we are sure that he really doesn't know anything else. Once you are sure, let Farlan know.", he then stared at Sasha and said, "Take Eren's place, there is something I need to discuss with him."

Sasha nodded and took Eren's place holding the towel, then Eren followed Levi through a door next to the small kitchen, that led to the back of the small house. 

Levi was pacing around lost in thought, and after a moment, he said, "I have a favor to ask you."

Eren nodded, and Levi said, "When the time comes... I will fight Kenny, I will crush him... but I already hesitated once to kill him, and now we are in this situation..."

Watching Levi struggle with words Eren said, "I will kill him. He saved your life and raised you. I don't have a doubt that, if needed, you would kill him, but, I would prefer to get that burden out of your hands."

Levi nodded in agreement and said, "The address that man gave us is close by, we should go to look for clues or anything that could lead us to her." 

"We should take Armin, Connie, and Jean with us. Armin could spot something we miss, he is smart like that... Jean is a good fighter that could back us up in case that we need to fight, and Connie is the fastest from our team with ODM gear, he could arrive back here fast to alert the rest of the team if something happens.", Eren said and Levi agreed. 

**\----------**

Isabel walked to the small kitchen from the house and found Armin and said, "I heard that you stood up to my brother like a badass."

Armin said, "I only did what was necessary."

Noticing that Isabel was eating a piece of bread Armin said, "Where did you get that?"

Isabel looked at the piece of bread in her hand and said, "Oh, I saw it in Sasha's backpack."

Giving her a suspicious look Armin asked, "Does she know that you took it?"

Isabel gave him a playful smile and said, "No, but it was there and it was too tempting. I don't think she would mind."

Armin opened his eyes in shock and said, "Are you crazy!? Sasha can kill -"

Armin was cut short by Sasha yelling, "Isabel, are you finished with your break? Where are you?"

Noticing that Sasha was walking towards the kitchen and Isabel still had the bread in her hand Armin panicked and pulled Isabel close to him giving her a hug to hide the bread between both of them.

Surprised with Armin Isabel said, "What are you-"

She was cut short by Sasha gasping in shock looking at them. Sasha said, "I didn't know! You guys make a good couple! I will give you a little more of 'break' time.", and left.

Isabel and Armin, still in shock stared at each other and blushed. Then, Armin let her go and said, "Finish that bread, and if you value your life, never steal food from Sasha."

Suddenly the backyard door opened and Levi entered the house. He stared at Isabel and Armin blushed faces in the kitchen.

Levi gave a suspicious look to Isabel and a death stare to Armin when Eren entered the house and said, "Connie, Jean, and Armin, get your gear we are going to the place of the transaction."

Noticing that Armin was frozen staring at Levi in shock and Levi giving a death stare to Armin Eren said, "Hurry up! Let's move! We have to get Mikasa!", breaking their stare contest and making them move into action.

**\------**

"Where are you taking me!", Mikasa shouted while Kenny dragged her chair, that she was tied to, to a dark room that only had a fireplace.

"Your client will arrive soon and we have to get you ready.", Annie said.

"I will not let anyone touch me!", Mikasa shouted.

Kenny laughed and said, "You don't have any say in the matter.", while Annie cut the restraints on her hands and cuffed her against the wall.

Mikasa struggled to get free before Annie cuffed her but Kenny held her tight. She was now standing up with her arms straight up cuffed to the wall tightly. To reach the floor she had to stand with the tip of her toes, otherwise, she would be hanging by her wrists in the cuffs.

Kenny looked at Annie and said, "What do you think?"

Annie stared at Mikasa cuffed to the wall and said, "Hmm, she would look better without this.", then Annie grabbed her red scarf and pulled it out of her neck.

"What are you doing! Give it back!", Mikasa shouted.

Annie stared at the red scarf and said, "You mean, this piece of shit?", then she threw it in the fireplace and said, "Ups!"

"I will kill you bitch!", Mikasa shouted while Annie laughed.

"If I were you, I would preserve all of that energy for the client, he will be arriving in a couple of minutes so we will leave you here ready for him to do whatever he pleases with you.", Annie said as Kenny left the room.

Then Annie left and closed the door, leaving her alone watching her scarf slowly burn while tears started to drop from her eyes.

**\------**

"That's the place?", Jean asked.

"It's pretty close to the house.", Connie said.

"We have to be careful, I am pretty sure there are a couple of Kenny's men around.", Levi said.

"Look at these footprints that lead to the property, they look recent.", Armin said.

"Maybe the 'buyers' are already there.", Eren said.  
  
"I don't see any window or entrance.", Armin said.

"We will have to round the place to look for a window or any other clue. Armin, Jean, and Connie, go round from the right. I will round from the left with Eren.", Levi said.

They started walking to the property to round it. 

"I don't see any windows", Eren said.

"Hopefully they are having better luck than us.", Levi said.

**\----**

Mikasa started to hear muffled sounds outside of the room, muffled steps that were getting louder. _Someone is coming_ , she thought.

Suddenly the door to her room was opened by a tall middle-aged man, he let himself in and closed the door behind him.

The man stared at her with lustful eyes and said, "I am gonna have so much fun with you." while getting close to her.

"Stay away from me!", Mikasa shouted with fear.

"The things I want to do to you-", the man said but was cut short when Mikasa managed to kick him.

"You bitch!", the man shouted while strongly grabbing her leg and kicking the other one.

Mikasa lost her balance and was hanging by the cuffs in the wall when the man forced himself between her legs. With their clothes being the only thing that separated their skin from touching, her body was starting to get overwhelmed with fear as her thoughts raced with every possible scenario. 

At the same moment...

"Did you guys found anything?", Eren asked.

"There is a small door and a dirty window, you can barely see something inside, but I think we saw figures of people, it could be the 'buyers' waiting for Kenny.", Armin said. 

Levi crossed his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose lost in thought as he closed his eyes he thought, _where are you, Mikasa?_

At that moment Mikasa shouted, "Don't touch me you fucking perv!" when the man tried to kiss her. Fear was taking control of her body, she thought when Eren saved her from this years ago. She thought of Levi, all of those times that he had saved her life. The conversation she heard between Annie and Kenny, were Kenny said that Levi will try and save her. _Levi_ , she thought.

The man grabbed her neck and said, "Look at me bitch!"

Fear like she had never felt before, overwhelmed her, making her body shiver, her tears falling.

 _Levi... Levi... Please, Levi, I need you to find me...,_ her thoughts racing, calling her only hope she screamed, "Levi!"

At that moment Levi felt a sting of fear like a bolt of lightning, her fear, coming from the direction that she was held captive. He shot opened his eyes, with the sound of the conversation between the unaware guys next to him muffled, he said "Mikasa?"


	10. All for One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angst and abuse ahead

**Levi P.O.V.**

"Mikasa?", I said, as I focused on the signal path to her location, I shouted, "Mikasa is two houses down the road!", as I sprinted towards her.

While running I was thinking of possible scenarios, _she is scared, that place is probably full of Kenny's men, I need the rest of the team if I want to attack directly, but I can't wait, she is scared, something is happening. If I barge in against all of them, they will probably kill me and move Mikasa from that place and the team will not find her... But I HAVE to do something! What do I do? What do I do? THINK! DAMN IT!_

I arrived at the back of the house, rounding it, I walked through the small alley formed between the houses. Moving to the side of the house, where I felt her signals coming from, I placed my back against the brick wall aligned directly with the point where I sensed her signals coming from. I knew that she was on the other side of that wall. I started reading her visual signals.

**Author P.O.V.**

"Please stop!", Mikasa yelled while the man pulled her hair causing her head to look up, leaving her bare neck exposed. 

Levi felt the pain on his own scalp.

"Begging now are we.", said the man while Mikasa's tears started to fall again.

Levi's tears started to fall as he said in a cracking low voice, "Fuck! No! Stop!"

The man stuck out his tongue and licked Mikasa's neck from her clavicle all the way up to her ear.

Levi felt the sensation on his own skin as he said, "Fuck!", frustrated, while the stress in his body was overwhelming him. Then, a familiar voice, like a whisper from an echo, crossed his mind:

_"Son, lend her your power"_

Suddenly, his body acted on its own, activating his "fight or flight" response. He felt an instant rush of adrenaline that shot throughout his body activating his Ackerman power surge. At that moment he only thought of one word:

_Transfer_

He pushed all of his signals through the wall. He concentrated on his whole body and sent the energy from every single one of his muscles too. All of his muscles contracted at once, making him clench his jaw to avoid screaming from the pain, his breathing stopped, but he kept on pushing beside it. 

Suddenly, Mikasa felt an adrenaline rush on her body, spiking instantly. A surge of power from behind the wall entered her body activating her own power surge, making it twice as powerful.

Mikasa jumped, placed her feet against the wall, and pushed her wrists forward with an inhumane strength, she broke her cuffs. Then, she grabbed the man's head, twisted it, and broke his neck. As soon as she heard that crack sound from his neck, her body relaxed, and the energy that she received, left her, as fast as it came, back to its source. 

Watching the dead corpse in front of her, thinking about what just happened, Mikasa looked back at the wall and said, "Levi?". She quickly pressed her back against the wall again to try and read his signals. 

When the power surge came back to Levi he fell to the floor on his knees, hands on the ground, gasping for air. His ears were ringing, muffling any other sound, and drops of blood came out of them. He opened his bloodshot eyes, trying to adjust his blurry vision. 

Still overwhelmed with stress, he placed his back against the brick wall again to try and read Mikasa's visuals. He saw the man's dead body laying on the floor with his neck turned to a complete 180 degrees. _Good_ , he thought. 

Mikasa sensed the overwhelming stress coursing through his body. She closed her eyes and raised her hand to her forehead. She expanded her fingers, touched her hairline, and concentrated on the feeling of her touch on her own scalp. She traced her nails through her scalp in a calming manner. She then made small circles on her temples with her thumbs. Levi felt every sensation she was feeling on his own scalp and temples and it helped him relax. The ringing in his ears started to fade as he rested the back of his head against the wall. 

Mikasa then, did a subtle double-tap with her index finger on the top of her head, making him concentrate on the next sensations, that he was going to receive from her, intently. She then traced her finger on her scalp like she was writing and traced the pattern:

"I ♥ U"

Reading the sensation that moved through his scalp, Levi smiled. Suddenly, his hearing came back, 

"Oi! Oi! Levi! Can you listen to me!?", Jean said.

When Levi opened his eyes he saw three confused and worried faces staring back at him, so close to his own, that made their faces look comically huge. Jean, Armin, and Eren were staring back at him in confusion. 

"Are you high?", Eren asked.

**\-------**

Connie arrived fast at the house, opened the door, and shouted, "We found her, we need you all now!" 

Isabel stared at Sasha and said, "Do you want to do the honors?"

Sasha nodded and moved from behind the man to the table with torture devices. She grabbed a big knife and slit the man's throat without hesitation. The blood filled his mouth and towel, while the man produced a gurgling sound. 

Connie watched Sasha in shock, she was calmed and serious. At that moment he thought, _I love this woman._

Then Isabel said, "Remember, don't leave anyone, that is a threat to her, alive. That includes all of Kenny's men that we get our hands into. Do you understand?" 

Connie nodded, then, Erwin, Farlan, and Hanji got out from the only room of the house, with their gears, and weapons ready for battle. Shortly after, Sasha and Isabel were ready and Erwin said, "Lead the way."

**\-----**

"I surveyed the perimeter, the only entrance of the house is right around the next corner. There are around six tall men talking in front of the door. I don't know how many could be inside.", Jean said.

"Knowing Kenny there are probably more on their way here for protection. At least, they still don't know that Mikasa killed that man, but they eventually will.", Levi said.

"The man we tortured said that some people paid to see her before the sale. He said it in plural, is the guy she killed the first?", Armin asked.

"I hope so, it seems that way, she still had her clothes on when I read her visual signals when I arrived.", Levi said.

"How is she?", Eren asked.

"Anxious by the minute, I don't know how many times I'll be able to give her a power transfer before the rest of the team arrives.", Levi said frustrated.

"You have blood coming out from your ears, it took a heavy toll on your body. I honestly think that if you do it again it might kill you.", Armin said.

"That won't stop me from trying if another pig dares to touch her.", Levi said.

**\-----**

"So, how much time did we agreed with the first client? The second one just arrived.", Annie said.

"How much time has passed since he entered?", Kenny asked. 

"I would say around 20 minutes, give or take.", Annie said.

"Alright, give it 5 more, and we kick him out.", Kenny responded.

**\------**

"What took you guys so long!", Eren shouted.

"We came as fast as we could.", Connie said.

"It felt like an eternity... Armin, fill them in on what has happened so far.", Levi said. 

Worried, Hanji approached Levi and said, "What happened to you? Is that blood?", looking at his ears.

"That is not important, we need to come up with a plan to get her out of there right now!", Levi shouted.

"Where are Isabel and Farlan going?", Armin asked.

"They are going to take care of some of Kenny's men so they don't end up here backing him up.", Levi said.

**\-----**

"Time's up!", Annie said while knocking on Mikasa's door. 

Mikasa started to panic as she thought, _no please no, not again..._

Levi sensed her increased anxiety and started to read her visual signals.

Annie turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly, she walked into the room and Mikasa barged in to attack her. Annie screamed at the sudden and unexpected attack, alerting Kenny and three other muscular men, and they hurried into the room. 

Mikasa was quickly overpowered by all of them while Kenny shouted, "How the hell did you get out of your cuffs bitch!", as he punched her face. 

Then he shouted to Annie and said, "Bring new cuffs from the other room, we need to set her up again for the next client." 

Mikasa started screaming, "No, please! I don't want anyone touching me!" 

Levi opened his eyes and said, "Fuck the plan, I am going in now!", and ran towards the entrance making everyone follow behind him.

Levi grabbed a knife from the inside of his boot and with two fast swift movements, he slit the throats of two of the men that were protecting the entrance. 

Connie stabbed one on the back, pulled the knife out, and stabbed another one in the eye. The man that was stabbed on the back turned and punched him, causing him to fall to the floor. Sasha saw what happened and jumped over Connie, surprising the man and stabbed him on the neck. 

Eren and Jean were fighting the other two guys when the Levi, Connie, Sasha, Armin, and Hanji quickly entered the house while Erwin moved to back up Jean's and Eren's fights. 

The sound of the commotion alerted Kenny and Annie inside of the house. Kenny shouted to Annie, "Get me the drug NOW!"

Annie ran to a small closet in the room next to it, grabbed a small box, and gave it to Kenny. He opened the box and found multiple syringes that were already full of a yellow liquid. Then, he hurried to where Mikasa was being pinned down and injected her with the substance on the neck. Suddenly, she stopped struggling and laid still on the floor. 

Armin stabbed the first man he encountered straight in the eye, he pulled the knife out stabbing another on the leg, the man yelled in pain and grabbed Armin by the neck causing him to drop the knife. Then, Armin reached to his back where he had hidden another set of knives and stabbed the man's arm, making him lose the grip on his neck, he then stabbed the man straight through the heart.

Jean and Eren killed the two men they were fighting and Erwin hurried them inside the house and said, "I will cover the entrance! I will not let anyone else of his men in! Go!", while opening his backpack revealing some of Hanji's weapons. He saw a group of approximately twenty men running towards the house, he stared at the weapons and smiled, excitedly he said, "Time to test these babies."

Levi was targeted between three men, while Sasha, Connie, and Hanji were fighting one each. Levi dodged a punch and with the same momentum, he elbowed the man on the nose, while grabbing the head of the man next to it, turning, pushing his head down and knee strike him breaking his nose while punching the other one on the face with his now free arm that he used to elbow the first one.

Mikasa heard the commotion that was happening outside of her room, she opened her eyes but when she tried to move, she started to hallucinate. The hallucinations became stronger by the second, revealing her worst nightmares and traumas. She started to scream, "Stop! No! Make it stop!"

Her fear struck Levi making him lose focus as one man punched him on the face, another one pulled him by the back of his shirt while the third one kicked his legs making him fall to the floor. Once on the floor, the three men started kicking him all over his body when Eren, Armin, and Jean arrived to assist him. Each took on one man, and Eren shouted to Levi, "Find Her!".

Suddenly, an explosion was heard outside followed by Erwin's voice screaming, "Holy Shit!". Then, a smaller explosion happened inside the house in the direction where Hanji was fighting. The explosion was followed by blood and body parts of the man she was fighting against, flying around, while she yelped excitedly, jumping up and down with a wide grin on her, blood sprayed, face. 

Levi was trying to read Mikasa's signals but the more he tried, the more it disoriented him, _something is not right,_ he thought, as he made his way deeper into the house. 

The man Connie was fighting took out a knife and tried to stab him on the arm, Connie dodged it. Sasha managed to swiftly slice between the legs of the man she was fighting, and she stabbed him multiple times on his back while shouting, "Die! Die!"

When the man fell to the floor she jumped at the back of the tall man that was fighting Connie, placing her arm around his neck trying to strangle him. Connie took his knife and stabbed him multiple times on his chest, and then, they ran behind Levi and Hanji to back them up. 

Suddenly Erwin shouted outside, "Fuck!" while a punch sound was heard. Armin ran out and found Erwin against the floor with three men struggling to pin him down. Armin saw the bag of Erwin next to the door and grabbed something that looked like a small ball of soft material. He barged at them stabbing one of the men, causing the man next to him to open his mouth in surprise. Armin took the chance to stuck the ball in his mouth and forced him to close it with an uppercut, making the man's head explode. Erwin handled the last man and said, "They are coming from everywhere I need you to back me up otherwise they will hit my blindspot and get inside." Armin nodded in agreement. 

Levi saw Mikasa laying on the floor of the room screaming and crying, with her hands covering her ears, shouting, "Make it stop!"

He ran towards her but someone tackled him and said, "Time for a family reunion I see". Levi punched Kenny on the face, while someone else held his other arm back while Kenny kicked him on the ribs making him kneel from the pain. Then the person holding his arm behind him said, "I will enjoy killing you as much as I enjoyed killing your weak and pathetic squad."

Levi turned on his knees and kicked Annie in the gut causing her to stumble back while Hanji stabbed her on the arm, and pushed her back.

Kenny then tried to punch Levi again, but Eren tackled him. Jean started to fight a man that was blocking the way to the room were Mikasa was held, and Levi took that opening to run towards her. 

Connie and Sasha ran behind him to cover his back, while he kneeled by her side to see what was going on. Scared, Mikasa tried to punch him away, while Levi shouted, "Stop Mikasa! It's me!"

"Stay away from me! Don't hurt me!", she shouted back at him, then she looked to her side and screamed, "You too! Don't touch me!" 

Levi, seeing that there was nothing in the place she was screaming at, he got close to her, placed his hands on her cheeks, and said, "Listen to me! Focus only on my voice, close your eyes!". Realizing that she was not listening to him, he covered her eyes with his hand and said, "It's me, Levi, listen to me please!".

She stopped struggling and said, "Levi?". He placed his forehead against hers and said, "You are having hallucinations, I need you to keep your eyes closed."

Mikasa nodded and he removed his hand from her eyes. Then, he said, "I will be your eyes, focus solely on my visual waves, nothing else." 

Mikasa nodded and sat down on the floor in an Indian position. Then Levi said, "I just need you to stay still until we are done here. Can you do that for me?" Mikasa nodded in agreement, and Levi gave her a kiss on her forehead. He saw her half-burned scarf next to the fireplace, he took it and walked out of the room, leaving Mikasa protected by Connie, while Sasha moved to cover the door of the room. 

Levi cracked his neck and smirked. He saw Kenny hitting Eren on the floor. He grabbed Kenny by the hair, turned him by pulling him down straight to a knee strike breaking his nose. Kenny stumbled back as Levi punched him on the side of his face with one fist and followed it with an uppercut with his other. Then, he quickly swooped his legs and threw him to the ground. 

Eren was standing up and Levi said, "Back Hanji, and Jean up!" Eren ran to them and saw that Hanji was being overpowered by Annie while Jean seemed to have more control over his fight. He ran to back Hanji up.

Levi stabbed Kenny's shoulders and said, "Apparently fucking up just your legs wasn't enough for you."

Meanwhile, Jean fell to the floor, hitting his head against it, in front of Sasha. The man he was fighting against, was approaching Jean with a knife in his hand. Sasha, barged at the man, kicked the knife out of his hand, and started to stab him on the chest at the same time that another explosion was heard from Hanji's area.

Another spray of blood followed the explosion with Annie's legs. Annie was laying on the floor with her legs blown out, while Eren said, "Holy Shit Hanji I want to try one of those explosive balls too!" 

Connie moved to the door of the room trying to get a closer look at Sasha when he saw her stabbing the man mercilessly as she screamed, "Give me back my potatoes!" 

Then, another bloody explosion happened that blew up Kenny's legs, while Eren shouted, "Praise Hanji's Holy Balls!"

"I don't have your fucking potatoes!", the man fighting Sasha screamed, followed by, "take this crazy woman away from me!"

Then, Erwin entered the house with blood sprayed all over his face. He grabbed Hanji by the waist and kissed her as he said, "I fucking love your balls".

"I don't know anything about your potatoes!", the man fighting Sasha screamed, while he tried to take her off of him. She was hanging on his back with her arm around his neck to strangle him as he yelled, "This woman is a fucking cat! Get her off me!".

Watching Sasha hanging and not letting go of the man's neck, while the man tried to get her off him moving sharply from side to side causing her legs to move around like she was a rag doll, Connie thought, _This is the sexiest woman alive._ While the man screamed, "she is biting me like a rabid animal!".

Then Armin shouted from the door, "Erwin, I need you back, there are more approaching!" making Erwin run back to the entrance.

Suddenly, Levi felt movement from Annie's area. When he looked at her, he saw Annie grabbing a knife from the floor and raising it to throw it. His senses heightened but he couldn't move fast enough to stop her. He saw as she threw the knife straight towards Mikasa. He watched the knife as it flew on the air on its way to its target. He concentrated on its route towards Mikasa and the distance from her. The blade was going to strike her straight through her heart. Just a moment before the blade was going to pierce through her skin, Mikasa shot her hand straight to the knife's handle stopping it from its course. With a fast and swift movement, she switched the blade to point in the opposite direction and threw it right at Annie's eye with a strength that made the knife enter deep into her eye socket hitting her brain. Watching this made everyone gasp in shock while Levi smirked.

"I wanted to be the one who killed her!", Eren protested.

"In the hating-Annie department, I am the one with most seniority so fuck off Eren!", Mikasa responded.

Watching Annie's lifeless body, Kenny shouted at Mikasa, "You fucking cunt!".

Eren grabbed him by the hair and said, "Hanji, pass me one of your balls to stick it up Kenny's ass."

Meanwhile, outside of the house, Armin spotted two figures running out of a near building, then he realized those were Isabel and Farlan running towards him. Suddenly, the building they got out from, exploded.

"What the fuck was that!?", Armin shouted.

"We did it, we fucking did it!", Said Farlan.

"That was Kenny's drug distribution plant, we managed to seal in around fifty of his men that were trying to run here to back Kenny up. But now, they can't... Ups!", Isabel said as she shrugged.

"What the fuck is wrong with you kid!", Kenny shouted.

Eren moved to Kenny's ear and shouted, "What's wrong with me? I'll tell you... You tried to get my sister raped by random pigs, and you used me twice to get to her! That's what's fucking wrong with me!"

Kenny looked at Levi and shouted, "You will let him do this?! I fucking saved your life kid! You owe me!"

Levi crouched in front of him and said, "Saving someone's life, to then, fuck them up, kind of defeat its purpose. I don't owe you shit."

"Oh fuck I can't watch this.", Jean said as he turned his back, while next to him, Connie and Sasha were staring at the whole thing amused.

Hanji gave Eren a small explosive ball and said, "I think this one fits."

"I will kill you, fucking shifter! I will fucking kill you!", Kenny screamed at Eren.

Levi, watching Eren starting to pull Kenny's pants off said, "Ah shit, I'm with Jean on this one, I definitely don't want to see Kenny's ass.", He then gave his back to Eren and said, "Just get it over with."

He heard the sound of the pants being pulled down, a 'thud' sound a second later, followed by the explosion.

He turned around and saw Kenny laying on the floor with everything below his waist missing as Eren said, "Hanji, this is a good experiment, let's see how much time a man can last alive without an ass."

Hanji yelped excitedly and stared at her watch to start timing it.

Jean turned around and looked at Kenny's body in disgust, then, Kenny started to make a gurgling sound, Jean said, "For fucks sake, just when you think that it can't get any more nauseating he starts making that sound.", Annoyed, he reached for his backpack and Connie followed for his.

Jean opened a bag and inserted his hand in it grabbing a handful of the bag contents and threw it to stick on Kenny's head. Connie took out the flame thrower from his backpack and set the colorful blob on fire causing it to explode Kenny's head to smithereens.

"There, that's better.", Jean said while everyone else stared at him and Connie in shock.

Hanji groaned in protest and said, "You fucked up my experiment!"

"What the fuck was that!", Levi shouted.

"You said to grab anything that could be used as a weapon, we only followed your orders.", Connie said and shrugged.

"We took parts of the cake that was spread across Levis office floor, it looked hazardous enough to cause some damage.", Jean said.

"What!?", Sasha shouted.

"Where you planning on celebrating my birthday or killing me with a radioactive cake Brats?!", Levi shouted.

"Is explosive, not radioactive!", Connie shouted.

"Are you sure?! Because those colors screamed otherwise!", Levi shouted.

Entering the house, watching the mess of dead bodies and body parts splattered around the house, Isabel said: "What the fuck happened here?"

"Isabel, where did you get the frosting for Levi's cake?", Sasha asked.

"Oh! Hanji had a baking section on her lab and it was there.", Isabel said.

"Oh... that makes sense.", Hanji said, raising her brows.

"No shit Hanji!", Levi said sarcastically.

**\-----**

Arriving at Levi's childhood house.

"Levi, I am not feeling well.", Mikasa said.

"I know, closing your eyes only causes the Hallucinations to stop for a brief moment.", Levi said.

"Place her on the bed. We need to stabilize her", Hanji said.

"I think I have something to counteract the drug effects.", Levi said while moving a nightstand from the room away from the brick wall. He removed one of the bricks and pulled out from the small hiding place behind it, a small box. He opened it and gave Hanji a little crystal bottle.

Hanji read at the label on it and said, "This should work for now. How do you know so much about this drug ?"

"Because he raised me, and he used it sometimes as a fucked up method of discipline.", Levi said.

Eren entered the room and asked, "How is she?"

"Stable at the moment, but we need to monitor her at least for the next 24 hours.", Hanji said.

Staring at Mikasa sleeping on the bed Levi said, "Hanji, can you do a full-body assessment on her? I don't know what they could've done to her before we arrived."

Hanji nodded and Levi and Eren left them alone in the room and closed the door.

Suddenly Armin, Erwin, Isabel, and Farlan, arrived at the house.

"Good we finally are all here.", Levi said.

"How did it go?", Sasha asked them.

**\----Flashback----**

"Go ahead, we will join you all in the house.", said Erwin.

"What do you think happened to that one?", Isabel asked Armin pointing at a dead body on the floor that looked like it was attacked by a wild animal.

"Sasha, and judging by the state of the body, she probably fought with the thought that the man stole her potatoes as a motivation.", Armin said.

Isabel gulped scared at the sight of it and said, "I thought that you were messing with me when you warned me about stealing food from Sasha."

"Why would I be messing with you?", Armin asked curiously, making Isabel blush.

Suddenly Farlan approached them and saw Isabel blushed face staring at Armin, he cleared his throat and said, "We have to get out of here", while giving a death stare to Armin.

Getting out of the house, they followed Erwin to the rooftop of the property across the small street.

"So, who is going to do it.", Armin asked.

"I will, I've been waiting for a while to test this toy.", Erwin said while raising the Hangezooka.

"Is it going to be more than one shot to blow up the house?", Farlan asked.

"I can let you do a second shot at it.", Erwin answered.

"Good!", Farlan replied excitedly.

"That is not fair, I also want to try it!", Isabel said.

"I want a shot at it too.", Armin said.

**\---End** **of Flashback----**

"Let's just say that, where once stood a house, now stands a holy hole.", Farlan said.

**\------**

**Eren** **P.O.V.**

I was resting my back next to the closed door of the room where Mikasa and Hanji were. Levi was pacing in front of the door lost in thought. I just stared at the floor fighting my own demons in my head.

_She is finally safe now, is she? I did this... I hurt her... And we don't even know yet the extent of what was possibly done to her..._

The sound of the door opening brought me back from my thoughts, and Hanji got out of the room.

"So?", Levi asked her.

"Follow me.", Hanji said to both of us.

We walked to the house front door and Hanji signaled Armin to come with us too. Once we got out of the house, we stood in the small front porch waiting for answers.

"I moved you all here for privacy, and I don't want to disturb Mikasa's rest.", Hanji said.

"How is she?", Armin asked.

"She is stable from the drug that Kenny injected her with, I did a full-body assessment on her and found regular bruises from the struggle but nothing serious.", Hanji said.

"Are there any signs of...", Levi said struggling with the words when Hanji cut him off.

"We will only know the extent of the damage and trauma when she is able to tell us what happened...", Hanji said.

"Hanji, I was there, I felt what she felt. Her stress, her frustration, I even felt the things that pig was doing to her body on my own skin, it was... What if...", Levi said with his voice breaking.

"The only thing we can do now is waiting for her to wake up...", Hanji said.

I sat on the front steps of the house and buried my head in my hands. They got into the house and Hanji asked me, "Are you coming in?"

I just shook my head without looking at her, I couldn't talk anyway.

_This... All of it... Is my fault! I thought she was in danger with Levi when in reality she was in danger because of me... again... She will never be safe with me around... or alive..._

I closed my eyes giving in to my own demons when I felt someone's punch on the side of my head. I didn't open my eyes, I wasn't going to fight back, I didn't know who it was but I welcomed it, this is what I deserved. Suddenly, someone kicked me on the ribs making me bend forward with my hands on the ground. Then, more kicks coming from every direction. Then someone shouted, "take him now!".

I opened my eyes but blood was clouding my vision, they were dragging me away from the house into the darkness of the night.

_If this is death, I welcome it with open arms._

**\------**

**Author** **P.O.V.**

"You guys should go ahead and take Mikasa to the Infirmary now.", Levi said.

"We will go with them to guide them and back them up.", said Farlan pointing at him and Isabel.

"Alright, then we will go ahead, the rest of you make sure to clean this house to remove any possible evidence that we were here in the first place.", Erwin said.

Suddenly, sounds from struggle and someone shouting, "Take him now!", came from out of the house.

Jean, Armin, Connie, and Sasha rushed out of the house.

"Shit! The rest of you stay here with Mikasa! The elite squad and I will handle whatever this is!", Levi said running out behind his team.

When Levi got out of the house, he saw his team, not very far away, fighting a group of around five Military Police officers that were dragging Eren away. He calmly walked to them and shouted, "Leave one alive!".

When he arrived he saw Eren on his knees, four dead Military Police officers around him, and behind Eren, Jean with the last officer alive. The officer was on his knees, face pulled up by Jean's pull on his hair. Levi walked to the scared officer and said, "So, what was your plan here?"

The trembling scared officer said, "We recognized the shifter, we knew he shouldn't be here so we were going to take him to our superiors."

Levi stared at the officer and sarcastically said, "Oh really?! There isn't a rule that says that he can't be here, especially with me around since he is under my direct supervision.", He crouched in front of the police officer and said, "I will tell you what really happened, you saw him, and recognized him from the court case were your superiors wanted him but lost. So you thought of bringing them the shifter yourselves."

The officer stared at him and nodded.

"The dirty military police never change.", Said Jean.

The team walked closer to the officer making a semicircle behind Levi.

Levi stared at the officer and said, "Did you see all the explosions that happened tonight? All of the dead bodies that are splattered around, did you know who did that and why?"

The scared police officer shook his head Levi smirked at him and said, "That's what happens when someone tries to take one of us. We killed Kenny, the most wanted and powerful man in the underground. We massacred his men because he dared to take away one of us, and we would do it all over again. So I want you to give a message to your dirty superiors: If you come for one of us, you will get all of us hunting you down.". Levi said his last statement pointing back at his team. They were all giving a death stare to the police officer.

At the sight of it, the police officer gulped in fear and nodded in agreement to deliver the message. Levi nodded to Jean and he let go of the officer's hair. The officer ran away as fast as he could.

The team then turned back to see Eren still kneeled down, and they surrounded him. Levi looked down at him with his arms over his chest and said, "Can you explain to me why the fuck you didn't fight back?! You are from the elite team for fucks sake, they were just five weak pigs from the military police."

Eren was still looking to the ground with his fists clenched he said, "Why?"

"Why what Yeager!?", Levi shouted.

Eren raised his gaze to meet Levi's eyes and said, "Why would you all fight for me after everything that I did?! You should've just let them take me! She will never be safe as long as my stupid ass is still alive!"

They all stared at him while he just broke down in tears. Sasha gave a step forward and said, "Don't get us wrong, we still think you are a fucking moron, that is a fact. But you are OUR fucking moron."

Jean stared at Sasha and then at Eren and said, "She is terrible at speeches but she is not wrong with that one. Also, with you gone, who is going to fight with me all the time? It would be boring as hell."

"Stop being a bitch Eren! Yeah, you fucked up, so what!? We fuck up all the time! Do you realize how many times you have saved our asses when you turn on the field? Letting Hanji painfully rip your limbs over and over again to get answers about titans in hopes to save humanity!?", Said Connie.

Suddenly, Armin stepped forward and punched Eren in the face making everyone gasp in shock. Then, Armin straightened up calmly, stretched his neck, and said, "That felt really good."

Eren didn't look back at him, and Armin said, "You don't get to die before I give you back all of the punches and tantrums that you have given me and Mikasa through all this time. I am still angry at you, I haven't forgiven you, and I never will if you just go and take the easy way out.", he then extended his hand at him and said, "The Eren I know, my best friend, is not a coward. Let's go back home."

Eren took his hand to stand up and pulled Armin for a hug and said, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Armin hugged him back and said, "I know".

**\----**

Arriving back at the house Hanji shouted, "What the hell happened?!"

"Dirty military police trying to take Yeager away. It's all good, I sent a message to their superiors.", Levi said.

Eren then stared at Levi and Levi noticed and said, "What!?".

Noticing that he was struggling to say something Levi shouted, "Spit it out!"

"I'm sorry that I tried to get you killed Sir!", Eren said.

"Don't insult me thinking that your little stunt was going to get me killed. Do you know how many people have tried to kill me? You would need much more than that to get rid of me.", Levi said.

Hanji snorted laughing like a maniac and everyone stared at her as she said, "Even your girlfriend wanted to kill you, Levi! Don't even get me started on all the times your best friend, Erwin, tried to kill you too!"

"It is not my fault that people just want to kill me when they met me!", Levi shouted.

"It is when you always act like a dick.", Isabel said.

"Tsc", Levi said while giving everyone his usual 'you-are-pissing-me-off' look.

**\------**

"Let's finish this up so we can get the hell out of here.", Levi said to his squad.

They were cleaning the house getting rid of any possible evidence of their stay. Hanji, Erwin, Farlan, and Isabel had already left with Mikasa to get her to the infirmary. Levi entered the only room of the house and saw the box he pulled from behind the brick, on top of the nightstand. He grabbed it to store it away when he stopped, looking at the contents in it. There was an old folded letter that wasn't there the last time he stored the box behind the brick years ago. He took it curiously, it had _"Levi"_ written on top of the seal, he recognized the handwriting, it was Kenny's.

He opened the old letter and read it:

_To Levi,_

_I don't know when you get to read this kid, and I honestly don't care. It's been a week since your betrayal and I haven't stop thinking on all the possible ways that I want to kill you. There is something that has been bothering me since you beat the shit out of me, there is something that I couldn't understand until now. I am back here, in this damn house that I promised myself to never set foot in again, sitting on the floor watching the same bed where she died, my sister, your mother. I thought that you were my equal, I saw the same darkness that I carry within you. You were ruthless, you didn't give a shit about anything, just like me. I was wondering how it was possible for someone like you to suddenly grow a conscience, after all, I thought that it was impossible for that to happen to me. But now, back here, everything made sense. Your mother, she lives in you._

_I will shed the last piece of humanity I have left with this letter, by confessing to you that a small part of me was relieved when you left and changed your ways. We will probably clash in the future resulting in one of us dead, but right now I would be glad if the one ending up dead was me. I can't stop this darkness kid, and I am pretty sure that your mother would've wanted you to stop me. I know it because when you were beating the shit out of me I heard her voice. You will probably think that I am crazy, which wouldn't be that far out from the truth, but I did hear her. I won't set foot in this house again, it makes me do stupid things like writing this stupid letter to you right now or saving your life those years ago. Have a nice life kid, until we meet again._

_Pd - Don't get me wrong, I haven't gone soft on you, I still want and will try to kill you._

Levi put the letter down, lost in thought thinking, _It seems fitting enough that the man who saved my life ended up dying by my birthday cake._

Suddenly, Jean entered the room and said, "Captain, there are around five women in front of the house calling for you."

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Not this now..."

He walked out of the house and saw the rest of the team staring at the beautiful women amused. 

"So it is true then, Levi is back.", said one of the women.

"I am not back, I am leaving, so you can all just fuck off!", Levi said.

"Do you think that you could get away without hearing us giving you a piece of our mind!", said another of the women.

"You slept with us all of those years ago and disappeared!", another one shouted angrily.

Levi pinching the bridge of his nose annoyed said, "Any other normal person would've taken that as a hint for fucks sake!"

"You are such a dick!", shouted one of the women.

"As much as I appreciate that as a compliment I need you all to get the fuck out of my property!" Levi shouted, making the women leave angrily.

When Levi turned around all of his squad were staring at him judgingly and he said, "I never said I was a saint!", and stormed back inside of the house.

When he left everyone snorted laughing and Sasha said, "I wonder how Mikasa would've reacted to that."

**\-----**

They arrived back at the base after spending the whole night in the underground. It was already time for breakfast, but the only thing on their mind was to see Mikasa. The shortest route straight to the infirmary was through the mess hall. Levi opened the mess hall doors and they started to cross it in a V-Shape formation. First was Levi, behind him was Armin and Sasha followed by Connie and Jean, finishing with Eren in the middle. The mess hall was full of cadets, and they all stared at the elite squad in shock as they crossed. They were all covered with blood, dirt, and walls only know what other types of body fluids.

Their faces showed determination and strength that intimidated any cadets that were in their way. They all moved to let them pass through while murmuring:

_The elite squad is so badass..._

_That is not steaming blood!_

_Never mess with Levi's squad._

_They look so hot!_

They finished crossing and arrived at the infirmary, where Hanji stopped them.

"Don't! I know you all want to see her but she needs to rest!", Hanji said making everyone groan in protest.

"Alright you heard her, go back to your rooms and for fucks sake take a bath!", said Levi.

"Levi, Eren, stay for a moment.", Hanji said.

When the rest of the team left, Hanji guided them to Mikasa's bed, where she was sitting with her back against the wall and arms crossed over her chest. She looked at them with her eyes full of disappointment and anger. 

She said:

"We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think of the story so far :)


	11. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smuttty scene ahead :)

"We need to talk.", Mikasa said.

Hanji gave Mikasa a warning look, and Mikasa said to her, "I know I need to rest, this will be quick. I promise."

Then Mikasa stared again at Levi and Eren and said, "I am hurt. I am angry. I am disappointed. When I get out of here I want the truth. All of it! No more lies, no more half-truths. I want to know everything! I almost got raped because of secrets and misunderstandings between you two and I don't know what the fuck is going on! I don't want to see your faces again until I am out of here and you are ready to talk. Do you understand?!"

Eren and Levi nodded and walked out of the Infirmary.

"This will be our death sentence.", Levi said.

"If there is someone she should forgive that's you. I don't deserve forgiveness.", Eren said.

"No matter how you look at it, in the end, we are both on the same boat, Brat.", Levi said.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Do not let her go."

"Wasn't planning to.", Levi said.

"Good, she is happy and safe with you... I get it... I still love her, but she is happy with you... That's what really matters to me, I think that's what you meant with 'how she feels with you', I get it now..."

"It's called selfless love, and now that you know what it is, you are ready to find a special person to share it with.", Levi said.

**\------**

Armin woke up and looked through his window, it was almost sunset. He woke up to go to the Castle's kitchen and found the gang.

"I'm still tired", said Sasha yawning.

"After the night we had I hope we get tomorrow off.", Jean said.

"That would be pushing it too far, they already gave us today off.", Connie said.

"I hope Mikasa gets well soon.", Armin said.

"What do you think will happen to Eren now?", asked Sasha.

"I don't know but what he did is serious. Erwin and Levi will probably have a meeting to discuss how to proceed with him.", Armin said.

They all sighed in frustration and suddenly Isabel entered the kitchen.

"Oi! What do you think you are doing here?", asked Jean annoyed.

"Perks of being the Captain's sister. Besides, Farlan was dead asleep so I had nobody to hang out with.", Isabel said with a shrug.

"You are always welcome here Isabel, don't listen to Jean.", Armin said making Isabel blush.

Noticing her reaction, Sasha stared at Connie and they both smirked.

**\------**

The next morning Sasha, Connie, and Jean arrived at the infirmary to visit Mikasa:

"Mikasa!", Sasha shouted as she jumped on top of her to hug her with all of her strength, tightly. 

"I need to breathe Sasha", said Mikasa

While letting her go from her hug Sasha said, "You are my potato.", making Mikasa laugh.

"How are you guys? I was impressed you guys didn't manage to sneak in and visit me before.", said Mikasa

Sasha, Connie, and Jean stared at her scared.

**\----FlashBack-----**

"Come on! Hanji is supposed to be out of the infirmary by now.", said Sasha.

"We can try and get in from a window.", said Jean.

"I think is the best option since I saw two cadets guarding the door.", said Connie.

They moved silently to a window near Mikasa's bed. Jean and Connie pulled open the window and helped Sasha to try and get in. When Sasha moved her head forward into the window, she hit her forehead against something solid. When she looked straight upfront she saw the barrel of the Hanjezooka staring back at her, held by Hanji.

"Say hello to my little friend", Hanji said making Sasha, Connie, and Jean scream and run away.

**\------End of FlashBack-------**

"Hanji is scary", said Connie.

"So, when are you leaving the infirmary?", Sasha asked.

"In a couple of hours.", Said Mikasa.

Suddenly Armin arrived and hugged Mikasa while saying, "I'm glad you are still alive."

"I'm glad we are all alive.", Mikasa said.

Armin then addressed the rest of the guys and said, "Could you give us a moment?"

They nodded and left them alone. Then Armin addressed Mikasa and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know his plan. I didn't know about Kenny or about that conversation he had with him those years ago. He only told me what he thought about Levi a couple of days ago. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you..."

Mikasa hugged him and said, "We are all alive, I'm just grateful. I forgive you."

Armin then sat beside her bed and said, "About Eren and Levi... are you..."

Mikasa cut him short and said, "I don't want to talk about them, and I want to know what happened, from their own mouths... I still don't know if I can forgive them..."

"Did you guys finished with your moment?!", said Sasha from out of the room.

"You guys can come in!", said Mikasa.

"Good, because Hanji just told us that you can go to your room now so we are going to walk you there.", said Connie.

"Guys, I can walk, I am not disabled.", said Mikasa.

"What if someone takes you away again!", said Jean.

"You are screwed, you are stuck with us for the rest of your life! I'm not letting anyone stole my potato again!", Sasha said.

They walked her to her room protectively.

"Guy's, seriously, I'm fine, there is no need to follow me around. I'll be safe alone in my room.", said Mikasa.

Groaning in protest they agreed but not before checking that her windows were locked and that nothing seemed out of place in her room.

"Ok, we will leave you now, but if something happens you just scream, alright?! We will be on high alert mode.", Jean said.

Mikasa gave them a soft smile and nodded. Finally, alone in her room, she saw that on top of her bed was a soft folded fabric next to a thick folder with two notes, one on top of each item. She took the fabric curiously and gasped in surprise realizing what it was. It was her red old scarf that she thought was lost when it was burned. She stared at it and noticed that it was clean and it was half its original length. Sewed to the end of it was another soft navy blue half scarf, she looked at it puzzled. She then stared at the note and read:

_I tried fixing it the best I could. To match its original length, I cut one of my favorite scarves in half and add it to yours... If you don't like it we can find one that matches the color._

_Levi._

A small smile started to form on her face as she thought, _I'm still angry at you, stupid!_ She put the scarf on and stared at the file, she took the note on top of it and read:

_This is my personal file... Here is everything you want to know about me. I know it's a lot to read, so take your time. If you don't want to talk to me again after you are done with it, I will understand..._

_Levi._

Mikasa stared at the thick file with a frown. She took the file and stormed out of her room. She found Armin in the hall and she said, "Armin, I need your help with something."

**\---------**

Knock. Knock.

"Name and Purpose!", Levi shouted.

"Armin Arlert, Sir! I am here to deliver a message from Mikasa, Sir!"

"Come in!"

Armin entered Levi's office followed by Eren.

"Are you finally going to tell me what this is about?", Eren asked Armin.

"Look, I'm just following Mikasa's orders, alright!?", said Armin.

Armin then pointed to one of the chairs in front of Levi's desk for Eren to sit. He then stared at Levi and said, "Captain, move from your chair and sit next to Eren."

"What?!", Levi asked surprised.

"Look, Mikasa wants to talk to both of you, she will be here shortly. She wants to stare at both of you at the same time, and the best way to do that is using your chair.", Armin explained.

"So, she definitely didn't read my file completely, and now she wants to steal my chair?!", Levi asked annoyed.

Armin gave him a warning stare and said, "I don't think you are in any position here to make any demands. Sit next to Eren and wait for her, that's all." Armin then, left the office ignoring Levi's death stare.

Levi sighed defeated and moved to sit next to Eren, while Eren gave him a 'we-are-so-screwed' look.

Watching Mikasa entering his office wearing her mended scarf made Levi smirk. But his small victory was cut short when Mikasa slammed his personal file on top of his desk while giving him a death stare.

She then, sat in his chair, and looking at him she said, "Can you explain to me what is this?", pointing to the file.

Levi stared at her in confusion and said, "You said that you wanted to know all the truth. All of my life is in that file."

"Yes, I want to know all the truth, but I want to know it FROM you.", she said emphasizing the 'from', she stared at him in disbelief and continued, "If you expect us to get back together, you need to know that I will expect to get to know you from you opening to me, not by reading some fucking file!"

"I just...", Levi said but Mikasa cut him short.

"Just what?! Didn't have the balls to tell me who you are straight to my face and instead went for the easy way giving me this crap to get it over with?!", Mikasa shouted pointing at the file.

"You told me that I could tell you wherever I was ready!", Levi shouted.

"Yes, and I still stand by that, with everything in your life that doesn't have anything to do with my past. But, not with things that are directly related to my past that could've possibly influenced any decision about being with you in the first place! You can't start a relationship with such lies! If you had something to do with my parent's death and the attempt of kidnapping me, an event that shaped my life, I think that is a pretty big deal that I should've known before falling in love with you!", Mikasa shouted.

Levi opened his mouth to protest but he closed it when he found himself out of arguments.

Mikasa then, stared at Eren and said, "And you...", she sighed trying to keep her anger in control, "...I don't even know what to say to you. From the two of you, you are the one who disappointed me more...", she then looked down, concentrating in her breathing to try to keep her composure, with her fists clenched addressing both of them, she said, "Tell me the whole story."

**\------**

Erwin was lost in thought thinking on the events that happened in the underground and the possible repercussions it would bring to the Survey Corps if they were discovered. Suddenly, a knock on his door brought him back to his office.

"Come in.", Erwin said.

Hannes entered his office and closed the door behind him.

"I'm here to give you an 'off the record' report about what you asked.", said Hannes.

"Go on.", said Erwin.

"I managed to sneak in the military police meeting about the investigation surrounding the events that happened in the underground."

"Any news on how they plan to report it? Do they suspect us?", Erwin asked concerned.

"They know it was the Survey Corps doing, there were multiple police officers that saw you guys down there but I wouldn't worry.", said Hannes dismissively.

"Don't worry? The military police have been waiting for us to commit any type of mistake to take cadets from us for themselves, especially after the shifter's trial!", said Erwin.

"I know, but listen, I don't know what the hell you guys did to the superiors of the military police, but when one of their officers suggested taking advantage of the situation to take a couple of cadets for themselves their superiors almost beat the shit out of the officer for even suggesting such a thing. Later, they strictly prohibited any officer to talk to the press or anyone about the possible involvement of the Survey Corps in the matter, and everything will be covered up as a simple 'thugs war for power' story.", Hannes said shrugging.

 _Levi you lucky son of a bitch, what did you do?_ Erwin thought. Then, he stared at Hannes and said, "As always, thank you for the information and the risk you took to inform us."

"Is the least I can do... especially for those two... I could never save their mom because I was a coward, and I don't plan on doing the same mistake again. If I hear anything new, I will let you know. Thank you for taking care of Eren, and Mikasa.", said Hannes.

**\--------**

"So, what did you wanted to talk about?", Armin asked.

"Uhm... I heard that sometimes you help Erwin to plan formations and stuff for expeditions... I was wondering if you could teach me about it if you want...", said Isabel avoiding his gaze.

Armin stared at her suspiciously and said, "Your two brothers are excellent at planning missions or expeditions, hell, Farlan has even given ME advice based on his experience on the underground. Also, Levi is humanity strongest and he has years of experience in the matter, why did you decide to ask me for help, when you have better resources available?"

Isabel trying to look for an excuse but not finding any just opened her mouth and then closed it. Armin noticing her struggle to find the right words he said, "If you just want to spend time with me you can just ask, you know?", while giving her a smirk.

"I don't! I mean...!", Isabel said trying to defend herself while blushing.

Armin cut her short grabbing her by the waist and kissing her on the lips, then he said, "Because I would love to spend time with you."

Isabel gasped in shock, and trying to hide her blushed face she said, "I would like that too."

Armin then grabbed her hand and said, "I know a nice place we can go."

**\--------**

"Candies?", Mikasa said staring at Eren in disbelief while Eren tried to avoid looking at her in the eyes, "Sometimes I wonder how you survived before you met me."

"I know, it was stupid... I'm sorry... I don't know what else to say...", Eren said.

"I don't think I can forgive you Eren... at least not now or soon...", Mikasa said.

"Mikasa, please...", Eren said with his voice breaking.

"You knew that I idolized you because of that event. I based all of my actions based on YOUR wellbeing without worrying for mine. I devoted myself to you in such an unhealthy way... All these years... If only you would've told me, it would've helped me to see you in a more healthy way. Like a regular human being that also makes mistakes, instead of idolizing you and devoting myself to you.", Mikasa said staring at him with disappointment, "Yes, I would have probably reacted angrily at you at the beginning but it would've helped me to develop a healthier relationship with you in the end."

Eren just bowed his head not wanting to see the disappointment on her face, then, he clenched his fists, stared at her, and said, "It's okay if you don't forgive me, that is what I deserve, but, Levi doesn't deserve this. You are safe with him, please consider that..."

Mikasa nodded to him and then addressed Levi and said, "Did you ever plan on telling me? Be honest."

Levi stared at her and said, "No, I never wanted you to know."

Eren gave Levi a 'I-vouched-for-you-and-you-are-fucking-it-up' look, while Mikasa asked him, "Why?"

"For the same reason that you are angry at Eren because he didn't tell you. I never wanted you to feel some sort of debt or anything like it towards me.", Levi answered.

"I was a nine-year-old when the incident with Eren happened. Did you think that the woman you say you love was as emotionally weak as a nine-year-old? Don't insult me with that bullshit, you know me or at least I thought you did. Even though you didn't open yourself to me, I did open myself to you. You should've known that it was NOT your place to make that decision for me.", Mikasa said.

Levi was lost for words as Mikasa continued, "Why would I feel indebted to you? Just because someday you decided to actually do what was expected of any decent human being? You were the one who taught me that you don't have to feel indebted to someone just because that person did the right thing! For fucks sake Levi, I chose you! You know I did even before we decided to make it official! You helped me to understand what and why was so wrong the way I thought and acted without putting my well-being first! I thought you knew me better..."

"I fucked up... I am sorry...", Levi said staring at her in the eyes.

Mikasa then addressed both of them and said, "I don't need 'protection' from the truth. Your responsibility, if you even have the slightest respect for me, is to tell me the truth, how I react to it is entirely my and only MY decision and you don't get to take that away from me!"

Mikasa then sighed and said, "I need time to process all this...", she then stood up and left the office.

**\--------**

Armin guided Isabel to the Castle's rooftop and Isabel said, "I've never been here! You can see the rooftop of the houses below!"

"I know right? Just, don't tell your brother I brought you here.", Armin said.

"Why?"

"First of all, if he knew we are spending time together, alone, he will kill me, and secondly, because I am not even supposed to know about this place."

Isabel stared at Armin curiously and asked, "How did you know about this place then?"

Armin scratched the back of his neck and said, "Well... Levi once brought Mikasa here and showed her where he stored the key in case she just wanted to come back by herself. So, being the good sister that she always is, she told me about it."

"Oh! Don't worry your secret is safe with me."

Armin sat by the edge and she sat next to him.

"So... Did Levi really taught you that torture thing about peeling?", Armin asked.

Isabel snorted laughing and said, "I knew you were going to ask that... yes he did... Are you sure you want to spend some alone time with a psychopath like me?"

"Psychopath? Psychopaths don't feel any type of empathy for anyone, they are narcissists. You did that because you wanted to save Mikasa, a person that you barely knew at the moment but you knew how important she was for your brother. Hell, I would even enjoy torture a person if it was for that purpose. You even joined the Survey Corps because you wanted to know about your brother's wellbeing. I would say you are the least narcissistic person I know. You are not a psychopath, you are a fucking badass.", Armin said staring at the horizon with a smile.

Isabel was shocked at his answer and said, "Thanks... you are pretty badass yourself too!"

"I have to be, for the sake of my sanity, growing up with two stubborn, problematic, and hot-headed friends, which at this point I consider my siblings, gave me no other option.", Armin said.

"I see... Are you going to forgive him?", Isabel asked.

"Eventually I guess, besides, I can't leave that shifter hanging around without supervision. In the end, I would have to forgive him for the sake of humanity.", Armin said with a chuckle.

"Speaking of shifters, I heard Hanji said that a shifter can gain the powers of another shifter's titan by eating that shifter's body. That Annie, she was a shifter right? The Female Titan?"

Armin nodded in confirmation and Isabel continued, "If Eren had eaten Annie, would his Titan form had grown boobs?"

Armin snorted laughing at her question and said, "I will definitely ask Hanji that one!", making Isabel laugh.

**\--------**

The elite squad, Farlan, and Isabel met in front of one of the Castle's classrooms.

"Why would Levi want to meet with us here?", Jean asked.

Annoyed Farlan said, "And why do we have to be here also? We are not in the elite squad!", pointing to him and Isabel.

They all entered the classroom and sat on the desks.

Soon, Levi arrived and stared at his team seated in front of him and said, "Good, we are all here.", and closed the door behind him.

Annoyed, Farlan asked, "Can you explain to me why Isabel and I are here too?"

"Because you two have grown close to my team and this life-threatening topic concerns all of us!", Levi shouted.

Everyone stared back at him curiously as Levi grabbed chalk, and started writing on the board:

_'How_ _to bake a non-explosive_ _cake'_

They all took their notebooks out to start taking notes, as Levi started saying "The first rule is: never, NEVER, take ANYTHING from Hanjis' laboratory for cooking.", while staring at Isabel as she avoided his gaze. Then, he continued, "Also, 'Connie's-ass' is not a valid metric when dealing with anything kitchen related."

Connie rolled his eyes as everyone else was trying to hold their laugh.

"So, let's start! We have a LOT to cover.", Levi said.

**\----3 hours** **later----**

"This is the 50th step of the second section.", Levi said, making everyone groan out of frustration.

Everyone was struggling to stay awake on their desks during the lasts two hours of class.

"I think I am about to fill the new notebook I brought for this.", Said Sasha.

"I didn't know that baking a cake could have so many steps. But again, is Levi so I don't even know why I am so surprised with his meticulous details", Said Connie.

Suddenly, Levi stared at his students and said, "Sasha, Mikasa, and Isabel, you are dismissed."

The three girls gave him a confused look but they sprinted out of the room as fast as they could before he changed his mind.

Once they were gone, the rest of the team stared at him in confusion while he wrote on the board:

_'How_ _to do the_ _'baking-while-wearing-an-apron-and-oven-mittens'_ _look_ _manly'_

All of the guys stared at the board in surprise and suddenly their stance changed from bored to interested.

"So, let's start", Levi said.

**\--------**

"Did Erwin invited you too?", Sasha asked.

"Yes, me and Farlan.", Said Isabel.

"He invited me and everyone that went to the underground that night. We are not required to go.", Mikasa said.

"Is in two days... I don't know Eren well but... I will go anyways.", Isabel said.

"I think the more people go to put a good word on his behalf, the better chances he has...", Sasha said.

"Court again...", Mikasa said as she sighed and closed her eyes.

"It's not like that time, it will be a decision between Hanji, Levi, and Erwin. Also, the only ones that know about everything that happened are just us.", Sasha said.

Isabel stared at Mikasa and said, "Are you going?"

"I don't know.", Mikasa said.

**\------**

**Mikasa** **P.O.V.**

Tomorrow morning is Eren's 'court' case session. I am still thinking if I should go or not. These past days have felt like months with everything that happened. I've tried to avoid Levi and Eren as much as I could these days. Tonight feels like another of those, now common, sleepless nights.

The team has started to relax around me, or at least they don't knock on my door every five minutes to verify that I was still alive. I am tired to pretend that I am okay, I am not. I am here sitting in my bed thinking about how helpless I felt when that man touched me. Thinking about the only strength I had at that moment, _Levi..._

**Levi** **P.O.V.**

Another sleepless night, and here I am, walking to the Castle's kitchen to make some tea. Since our last conversation at my office, she has been avoiding me. I fucked up, I don't know what else I can do to apologize. Since that day it's clear that we are no longer together, and I don't know if she wants to...

As I passed by the door of her room I got hit with her brain waves. I wasn't even trying to read them, and my body just acted on its own.

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Levi didn't even knock at her door, he just opened it and let himself in. He found her laying on the bed by her side giving her back to him. Silently, he laid next to her and hugged her.

She gasped surprised and said, "How did you know?"

"I guess I know you more than you thought. Was I right?"

Mikasa nodded, and said, "I just wanted to feel safe again... Like when you hold me like this... and here you are."

Levi held her tighter and pulled her closer to his body. He placed a kiss on the back of her neck as Mikasa said, "I am still angry at you."

"I know.", He replied.

"We are still not together.", said Mikasa.

"I know", Levi said, he sighed and asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

"I need you to stay."

"I'll stay."

**\---------**

**Levi P.O.V**.

Morning arrived, and there she was, curled between my arms. To be honest, it has been a while since I have slept this well. I was so caught up admiring her calm face while she slept, that I didn't even realize that it was already morning, but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing else mattered at that moment. Suddenly, someone knocked on her door.

I calmly walked to her door and open it. Sasha and Connie stared at me in shock, and I couldn't give a fuck. I was shirtless, and my hair was probably all messed up.

They froze there starting at me as I said, "So, are you telling me what you want or are you planning on just staring at me brats?!"

"I was just walking Sasha here, I am leaving now.", Connie said as he almost ran away.

I stared at Sasha and she was still shocked staring at me as I said, "So?"

"I... I wanted to see Mikasa before going to Eren's hearing to see if she was okay.", she said.

At that moment Mikasa moved me away from the door, then she said to Sasha, "Come in, and ignore him."

Sasha came into the room and Mikasa stared at me and said, "You could've at least put on a shirt before opening the door, you know!"

"Tsc, I am putting it now, I have to leave anyways.", I said.

Jean saw me leaving her room and said, "Oi! What happened to the 'no man in the ladies' rooms' rule? I am pretty sure you are a man or at least identify as one, right?"

I stared at him seriously and said, "Yes, I am a man, but also so much more than that. I am your Captain, I am the one who makes the rules and the one that rules doesn't apply to. I am humanity strongest, and," I stepped closer to him as I said, "I can be in her room because she is MY lady."

I left, leaving him with a shocked expression on his face. I knew Mikasa and I weren't together anymore, but that didn't mean that anyone else needed to know. Especially, those with special interests in her. Besides, she is still as mine as I am hers so I told no lies there.

**\-----**

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Sasha yelped excited after Levi left the room and said, "So, are you back together?! Tell me everything! I want to know everything!"

Mikasa rolled her eyes at her and said, "We are not together."

"What do you mean?!", Sasha said.

"Nothing happened, he just stayed the night to help me sleep, that's all."

"How can you look at those abs and just have a platonic sleepover!"

"Sasha... I am just struggling with everything that happened, and having him close helps to feel safe again.", Mikasa said.

"Oh... I'm sorry... If you need someone to talk to, or if Levi is not available, you have me. I might not be as comfortable as him but I bet I can cuddle you up like a baby potato.", Sasha said making Mikasa laugh.

**\-------**

The small room used as a court in the Castle had a long table at the end with three chairs facing the room. In front of it was a single chair facing the table, and not far behind it, multiple chairs aligned side by side facing the table.

Everyone, but Mikasa and Armin, were out of the room waiting for Hanji, Levi, and Erwin to arrive.

"Did she tell you if she was going to come?", Eren asked Sasha.

"I tried to convince her but it seems like she might not come, I'm sorry.", Sasha said.

Eren tried to hide his sadness behind a forced smile as he thought, _Even though last time in court they were discussing whether I died or not, even though Levi beat the shit out of me, that day was better than today because she was there... Armin was there... How am I supposed to keep myself together without them? The worst of it all is that this is entirely my fault..._

His thoughts were interrupted when someone grabbed his shoulder behind him. He turned around and saw Armin.

"Calm down, I am here to help you go through this.", Armin said.

Eren bowed his head and said, "Thank you, you have no idea how much having you here means to me."

"Life would be so boring without my problematic brother.", Armin said.

Eren stared at him in confusion and said, "Are you saying..."

"Yes Eren, I forgive you. I'm still angry at you so wait for more random punches to your face in the future, but you are still my pain in the ass brother.", Armin said.

At his words, Eren gave him a genuine smile. Then someone on his side poked his shoulder and he saw Mikasa giving him a death stare.

"I still haven't forgiven you, and I am still angry at you, but I still care about your problematic ass.", Mikasa said.

"I thought you wouldn't show up.", Eren said.

"I thought about it, but I couldn't let pass by the chance of the possibility of watching you receiving another beating in court. Hell, I even want to volunteer if that's the case.", she said, then, she moved on to talk to Sasha.

Eren stared back at Armin and said, "She really hates me."

Armin replied teasingly, "But she is here." making Eren smile.

**\-------**

"We are here to discuss Eren's disciplinary actions. We will not proceed with all the formalities of a court hearing but, we want to hear the opinions of anyone who was directly affected by his actions and that is why you are all here today.", Erwin said.

"Since we are cutting all of the formalities crap let me make something clear. Eren's life depends on him being a part of the Survey Corps. If he gets kicked out, it would literally mean death for him since the military police will just dissect him. If he were any other regular cadet, under normal circumstances, he would have been kicked out of the Corps a long time ago.", Levi said.

Eren, who was seated in front of them facing them just bowed his head in shame.

"I also want to clarify the severity of the charges. Eren, intentionally, let inside the base two major criminals, one of them being the Female Titan. The same titan that killed many of our comrades and is a clear enemy of the Survey Corps. This act only, putting everyone's life on the base at risk, can be considered as treason, which is punished by death. He let them inside the base with the purpose of killing the Captain of the elite squad.", Hanji said seriously making everyone gulp in fear for his fate.

"Adding to the acts he knowingly and intentionally committed, there are the ones that were a direct consequence of his actions. The kidnapping of one of our best soldiers putting her life in danger. The risk we took to get her back putting our lives in danger, and if we get started with all the events of that night we would never end.", Said Levi.

Erwin addressed Eren directly and asked him, "Do you have something to say on your behalf?"

"I am guilty, I take full responsibility for my actions. I don't deserve to be treated as a special case, so just give me the death penalty. It is the most logical punishment for my actions.", Eren said.

"What!?", Mikasa shouted standing from her seat. While everyone else also loudly protested at the same time.

"Order!", Erwin screamed.

"Since we are without formalities here, what Erwin means is: Shut the hell up and calm the fuck down, we are not finished here!", Levi said giving a death stare to all of his team.

Mikasa sat down and everyone else quieted, but the tension still filled the air around them.

Armin passed Mikasa a folded piece of paper and said, "message from Levi".

She opened it, and read:

_Trust me_

She looked at him and he gave her a reassuring nod making her release a breath she didn't even know she was holding in, while Armin held her hand.

"Having said the charges against Eren, there are also facts to consider on his behalf. He helped us getting Mikasa back, risking his life with all of us. He also helped in the elimination of the two major criminals. He has shown genuine remorse for his actions. He has willingly participated in Hanji's experiments even knowing of the pain it might physically cause him.", Erwin said.

"He has also shown useful skills on the field and had saved many comrades' lives. This is why we don't consider him a traitor to the Survey Corps so far, but we still have to take action to avoid this from happening again.", Levi said.

"Eren, we have decided to put you in the Survey Corps prison for two years and revisit your case then to see your progress.", Erwin said.

Everyone started to protest loudly again and Levi said, "Could you brats let us finish talking?! Shut up!"

"The Survey Corps prison is empty and hasn't been used in years. The cells are located in the basement of the Castle on the other side of Eren's current room. He will be allowed to get out for training, experimentation time, chore time, and expeditions. More privileges to go out of his cell will be added in time depending on his progress. Also, he is not allowed to go out of base without the company of a Captain or higher up.", Levi said.

"What about visiting hours? Since the cells are empty, that would be like solitary confinement if no visits are allowed. That could mess up his sanity.", Armin asked.

"Everyone in this room is allowed to visit him at any time during the day. Any other visits must be approved first.", Levi said.

"May I suggest a change on that?", Armin said.

"Go on.", Said Erwin.

"There are two other cadets that are friends of ours that are not here. They graduated as the 104th trainees' group with us. I would like to add them to the list of visitors that can see him at any time. Their names are Ymir, and Christa.", Armin said.

"I don't see a reason why we shouldn't add Christa. Ymir, on the other hand, is still under investigation since she was the one who led Annie inside the base days before she attacked us during the expedition.", Erwin said, he looked at Levi and Hanji and they nodded in approval.

Levi passed a piece of paper to Erwin while raising a brow. Erwin took the paper curiously and read it. Then, he stared at Levi in disbelief and said, "Seriously?"

"Very.", Levi replied.

Erwin addressed Eren and said, "Alright, I also have a few requests from your comrades.", He sighed and thought, _I can't believe I am doing this_.

Erwin continued, "For the following month you will do:   
Armin and Sasha's stable duties."

Armin and Sasha fist-bumped in triumph.

"Clean Connie's room, and address Jean by 'Sir'."

Everyone stared at Jean and said, "Really?!"

Jean just responded with a teasing smile and a shrug.

"And one last thing that will be for the next two years. A direct request from Captain Levi: Do Connie's laundry on time.", Erwin finished reading.

Connie stared at Levi and said, "Really?!"

Levi stared seriously at Connie and said, "I still have nightmares Brat!", making everyone laugh.

**\-------**   
**Levi** **P.O.V.**

After the night before Eren's hearing, I passed every night by the door of her room and read her waves. If she needed me I just opened the door and laid with her until the morning. I noticed that she was sleeping better as the days passed. During the day she still avoided me or anything related to me.

One night I read her waves, as usual, and realized that she was sleeping already. _She doesn't need me anymore,_ I thought as I went back to my room. I woke up with a loud knock on my door. It was almost morning already. I opened the door and there she was.

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Mikasa angrily entered his room leaving him puzzled while he still held the door open.

He stared at her, already inside of his room, and sarcastically said, "Well, come in I guess.", while closing the door behind him.

"Where the hell were you last night?!", Mikasa asked angrily.

"Was I supposed to be somewhere?", Levi asked with his arms crossed over his chest while raising a brow.

"Why didn't you sneak into my room?"

"Because you were already sleeping, so you didn't need me to sleep."

Mikasa stared at him, and struggling to say something back she said, "Oh..."

"You were pretty clear that we are not together, or did I miss something?"

"We are not together.", Mikasa said.

"Then, why are you here?", Levi asked.

"I..."

Levi stepped closer to her and said, "You what?"

"I was sleeping because I thought you would come alright!?"

"No, you were sleeping because you don't need me to help you sleep anymore. That's a good thing, why are you denying it?"

"I just missed you.", Mikasa said.

"But we are not together.", Levi said getting closer to her.

She stared at him lost for words.

Then, he said, "You are mine, but we are not together."

"Yours?! What makes you think that!?"

Levi grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him, their noses were touching as he said, "if you weren't, you wouldn't be here."

He kissed her, and she kissed him back as he said, "you wouldn't let me kiss you like this."

He slowly pushed her against the wall, and tightened his grip on her tights as he ground his hips against hers. When she felt his hardened length she pushed her hips forward, opening her legs to grind against it, letting a moan escape.

Breathless he said, "you wouldn't let me touch you like this."

Mikasa took his shirt off and started biting his neck making him groan. With a hoarse voice, he said, "I want you so bad." Then, he pulled back and said, "but we are not together."

He proceeded to grab his shirt off the floor to put it on while Mikasa stared at him like she wanted to kill him. He smirked and said, "I want to be with you."

"I am still so angry at you."

"So what!? Couples don't break up every time they get angry at each other. Hell, being angry at each other has been our thing since the start! The real question here is, have you forgiven me? Have I gained your trust back?", Levi said.

"I trust you, more than anyone. Do you trust me? Do you trust me enough to handle the truth so you don't have to keep anything from me?", Mikasa said.

"What!? Of course, I trust you! I fucked up, alright! I am so sorry I thought you would react the wrong way to the truth. It was my fault, I regret it, deeply! There are no excuses, you showed me how strong you are, your resilience, I should have known but I ended up hurting you.", Levi said.

Mikasa, lost in thought said, "I forgive you."

"Do you believe that I trust you? I need you to understand that I trust you with my life, and I promise to not hide anything from you anymore.", Levi said.

"I believe you."

"Do you want to be with me?", Levi asked.

"I do"

Levi then got closer to kiss her but she pushed him back and slapped him on the face. Levi stared at her confused.

Mikasa smirked and said, "I said I am still angry at you, so what do you plan to do about that?"

Levi smirked back at her and said, "You can hit me all you want, I actually liked it.", He pinned her against the wall, grabbed her wrists, and said, "I can even get you angrier since I barely felt that slap, Brat."

She struggled to get her wrists free as he said, "You would have to try harder if you want to hit me, they don't call me Humanity Strongest for nothing."

She smirked at him and started to kiss his neck, she pulled her hips forward to rub against his erection, and when he relaxed his grip to kiss her back she pushed him to the bed.

He fell on his back and she straddled him. He grabbed her hips to push her down harder against his hips. She ground against him harder and slapped him on the face again.

He tightened his grip on her hips and biting his lower lip he said, "that's more like it."

Mikasa took his shirt off making him lift his back. They were now closer, and he kissed her passionately. He took her shirt off and started kissing her neckline while keeping the grinding motion with his hands guiding her hips.

Mikasa moaned and said, "Fuck, I missed this so much."

Levi started kissing her breasts and said, "I missed this too." Then, he flipped her over and was on top of her. He took off her pants and underwear leaving her naked.

He started kissing the inside of her thighs making her gasp. He kissed her thighs until he was in the middle of her legs. He licked her clit making her moan and arc her back. Mikasa placed her hand on his head pushing him forward. He started licking and sucking making her moan louder. Then, he stopped and stared at her.

Mikasa looked at him and angrily said, "why did you stop!?"

He gave her a devilish smirk and teasingly said, "I thought you were angry at me, is that all you've got?"

Mikasa grabbed him by the hair to pull him closer to her, wrapped her legs around his waist, and flipped him over. Now she was on top again.

While moving to straddle his face she said, "I see, I have to silence that smart mouth of yours.", She placed her knees on his arms restricting them, and pressed down her clit against his mouth and said, "Now, suck and shut up! Is an order!"

She started rocking against his face as he licked and sucked. While she was moving, Levi was able to set an arm free and he used it to wrap it around her to tighten her against his mouth. He knew she was close to her climax, so he managed to set his other arm free to rub her clit with his thumb.

She started shaking, and while saying some intelligible curses, she came on his face.

With her out of strength, Levi pulled her down and flipped her over, and said, "And that's how you follow an order."

"Hmm I didn't quite get it, since I wasn't paying much attention, Sir", she teasingly said, then, she bit her lower lip and said, "would you mind showing me again?"

Levi stared at her, amused he said, "What are your orders, Brat?"

"Take off your pants, and give me what is mine!"

Levi smirked and took his pants and underwear off. He teased her rubbing the tip of his cock on her clit. He placed it at her entrance and said, "Is this what you want?"

Mikasa nodded and Levi said, "Say it!"

"Stop teasing and fuck me!"

Levi thrust his full length inside of her with a groan. Mikasa wrapped her legs around his waist as he rocked faster into her. She moved her hips following his rhythm, and by reading his waves she was already in sync with his arousal.

He clenched his jaw and said, "Fuck, I missed this!", as he made his thrusts faster and harder into her.

Breathless and about to cum Mikasa said, "Give it to me"

With a couple of more hard thrusts, Levi started to cum inside of her as he said, "Take it!" with one last hard thrust finishing with a grunt, as she moaned her climax in sync.

He collapsed on top of her, breathless, and said, "I have to make you angry more often."

"I agree, it felt really good slapping you and making you shut the fuck up.", Mikasa said laughing.

Levi gave her a devilish smile and said, "Oh really?! Next time I will be the one shutting you up deeply."

"Looking forward to it, Sir", she replied.

The next morning Sasha saw her sneaking out of Levi's room and she stared at Mikasa with her arms crossed over her chest while raising a brow she asked, "So?"

Mikasa raised her arms in victory and said, "Yes"

Making Sasha yelp excitedly.

**\------**

"You said you wanted to ask me something.", Hanji said.

"I don't even know how to ask this without sounding crazy.", Levi said.

"Are you really telling that to the person with the 'crazy scientist' nickname?", Hanji said while raising a brow

Levi opened a drawer, took the letter he found from Kenny, and gave it to her.

Hanji read the letter and said, "Maybe they had some sort of bond, it's possible between family members."

"Even if the person is dead?", Levi asked.

"Is this all the evidence you have?"

Levi sighed and said, "When I found Mikasa whereabouts before you guys arrived, I couldn't do anything to stop what was happening to her at that moment. I have never felt so frustrated and useless in my life. Then, I heard her voice, my mom's voice, she said 'Son, lend her your power', and suddenly I knew how to give her a power transfer." 

Hanji said, "Huh", lost in thought, then she said, "The idea of memory applies to a phenotypic trait that is acquired during the life of the individual. Epigenetic marks could be passed on to the next generation through germ cell DNA, they represent a form of inheritable memory: children's genes remember the environmental factors their parents were exposed to."

Frustrated, Levi said to her, "Hanji, it doesn't matter how sciency you try to put this whole bond thing, for me it will always be this random magical mumbo jumbo rainbow bridge of unicorn shit. So just answer me with a yes or no, am I going to start hearing voices from a bunch of dead people in my head now?!"

"What I am trying to say is that there is a possibility of inheritance of the bond. If that is the case, there is a possibility that a small echo of your mother's conscience was transferred to you the moment you were born. In other words, do you remember what you told me when you had your first individual Ackerman power surge? The feeling that you always knew what had to be done no matter the circumstances?", Hanji asked.

Levi nodded at her and she continued, "The moment you felt that you didn't know what to do could have activated her conscience for answers. I wonder how far back it could go?"

"Far back?!"

"Yes, your grandmother passed hers to your mom, and so on, I bet you inherited a smaller portion of your grandmother's and so on also.", Hanji explained.

Staring at Levi's confused expression Hanji said, "Levi, your mom lives in you. She will be there for you for advice in stressful situations."

Suddenly, someone knocked at his door making them come back from their thoughts, Levi said, "Name and Purpose!"

"Your girlfriend, the one you promised to have lunch with today, you grumpy old man!", Mikasa said making Hanji laugh.

**\--------**

"Come on! I am hungry!", Mikasa said.

"I'll finish this document in five minutes.", Levi said.

"You said the same thing five minutes ago!"

"I told Farlan to join us for lunch, so he is probably on his way here."

"Did you tell him to meet here?", Mikasa asked.

Levi thought for a moment and said, "No"

"So he is probably at the mess hall already or on his way here, either way, we should go, and if he is on his way here we will meet him anyway on the way.", Mikasa said.

"Tsc, alright let's go.", Levi said.

Mikasa raised her arms in victory and Levi said, "You are such a spoiled brat."

"And you better keep it that way."

"I've created a monster."

They walked out of the office and started to walk their way to the mess hall while holding hands. Levi noticed that Mikasa was lost in thought and he said, "He would love for you to visit him."

"I know.", She responded.

"He asks me about you every day.", Levi said.

Mikasa sighed, closed her eyes, and said, "I know"

Levi sighed, not knowing how to approach Eren's topic further.

They were passing by the entrance of the stables when they saw Farlan further ahead coming towards them.

"See, I told you we would see him.", Mikasa said.

Suddenly, Levi stopped walking and tightened his hold on her hand. She saw Farlan stopping too with a shocked expression on his face. Both Farlan and Levi were staring into the stables.

When Mikasa looked in the direction they were looking at, she saw, at the end of the stables, Armin and Isabel kissing.

 _Shit!,_ she thought.

She started to feel the waves of rage building up in Levi, then she heard Farlan screaming, "What the fuck are you doing to my sister!?"

Followed by Levi screaming with rage:

"Armin! I am going to kill you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think of this mess of a story! I love to read some feedback :)


	12. Selfless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 93187 words, and 230 pages we reached the end of this mess of a story :) Thank you all who stayed with me through it all. It's been a wild ride for me! Let me know if you liked it! Thanks to: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulViolence/pseuds/Seraphy for being such an inspiration, and for your advice on my writing, the world needs more people like you. Check out Seraphy stories, they are amazing!

"So, where are we going?", Sasha asked.

"Since you love food so much, I wanted to do a picnic. Just the two of us.", Connie answered.

Sasha started jumping up and down excited, as they walked to the stables. Arriving at the stables they saw Isabel and Armin holding hands. Sasha and Connie stared at each other and smirked.

"See! They look so cute together!", Sasha said loud enough for Isabel and Armin to hear.

Isabel yelped, startled, realizing that Sasha and Connie were straight behind her. 

"So, how long have you guys been sneaking around?", Connie asked.

"A lot less than the two of you.", Armin replied.

Sasha gasped and said, "How did you-"

Connie cut her short and said, "Is Armin, with his skills I am pretty sure he has already deducted everyone's secrets."

Armin laughed and said, "You two have not been so subtle about it either, that is not my fault."

Sasha poked Isabel's shoulder teasingly and said, "So, we can go on double dates!"

Isabel smiled shyly and said, "Of course! But we have to be cautious, I don't want my brothers finding out just yet."

Sasha yelped excitedly and said, "Don't worry, I will not say anything!"

Sasha and Connie walked away to find Connie's horse, leaving Armin and Isabel behind. 

Armin smiled at Isabel and said, "There is nothing to worry about, they will not say a thing."

"I hope so.", Isabel said.

Noticing that she was still nervous Armin said, "Besides, I wouldn't mind if everyone knows about us." while grabbing her by the waist and kissing her.

Suddenly they heard Farlan screaming:

"What the fuck are you doing to my sister!?"

Followed by Levi screaming with rage:

"Armin! I am going to kill you!"

Isabel stared at them in shock and said to Armin, "Go! I will hold them down as long as I can so you can run away!"

"Are you crazy!? I am not leaving you alone with your two crazy angry brothers, you are coming with me!", Armin said as he grabbed her like a bag of potatoes over his shoulders and ran to get a horse. The closest one was Levi's and Armin said, "Fuck it! I am taking this one, is the fastest anyway!"

Isabel, trying to get free from Armin's hold said, "Are you crazy!? They will kill you!"

Sasha and Connie were already on their horse when they heard the screaming. They looked at the source of the screams and saw Farlan and Levi running towards Armin and Isabel. 

Sasha shouted to Connie, "Hurry! Block them! It will give them more time to escape!"

They moved on their horse to block Levi and Farlan's way to Isabel and Armin, while Armin got on the horse still holding Isabel like a bag of potatoes ignoring her protests. 

"Get the fuck out of the way!", Farlan shouted.

Watching Levi running and lowering his body to slide below their horse Sasha jumped to stop him and landed on top of him while Connie jumped to try and stop Farlan. Mikasa ran to help Sasha.

"Get off me Blouse!", Levi shouted.

"Levi, you have to calm down!", Mikasa shouted while helping Sasha to hold him down. 

"I will kill him! He is kidnapping her!", shouted Farlan while trying to walk towards them with Connie holding on to dear life to one of his legs.

Levi pushed Sasha away and started to struggle with Mikasa while saying, "He wants to do filthy things to my little sister!"

Isabel and Armin were already riding away while Isabel shouted at them, "I am not little anymore, and I like filthy things! See you suckers!", while giving them the middle finger. They rode away ignoring their threats and screaming.

After riding for a while Armin asked, "Did we lose them?"

"I don't think they followed us, the last thing I saw was Connie, Sasha, and Mikasa holding them down.", Isabel responded.

They stopped at a large open field, close to the wall, and got down the horse.

"Where are we going?", Isabel asked.

"Well, since we started dating I put together a risk mitigation plan in case this happened.", Armin said with a smirk.

**\---------**

Pacing around his office Levi said, "He took my little sister AND my horse, he has a death wish!"

Mikasa stared at him and Farlan and said, "I am not letting either of you kill Armin. Is that clear?!"

"They really like each other, is not like Isabel was forced to do anything. I bet she was the one who approached him to begin with.", said Connie.

Angry, Farlan shouted, "My sister would never-"

Sasha cut him off and said, "It doesn't matter who approached who. What matters is that they seem really happy together, and Armin is a good guy. He would never hurt her."

Jean was walking Eren from Hanji's lab back to his cell when they heard the commotion. They entered Levi's office, and Jean said, "Can someone explain to me what all of this shouting is about?"

"Armin and Isabel are dating and they got caught kissing by Levi and Farlan. I think you can deduce the rest...", Connie said.

"Is Armin still alive?", asked Eren worriedly.

"For now, yes. The pervert managed to run away.", Farlan said with a deadly tone while Mikasa gave him her death stare.

**\----------**

Gathering her tools Hanji asked Erwin, "Do you want to go out tonight?"

Erwin walked close to her and said, "We can go out or stay in, your choice."

Hanji laughed and said, "Do you want me to stay in, with you, again?"

Erwin grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer, and said, "Or, you can stay with me forever. Move-in with me."

Snapping them out of their trance, where only the two of them existed at the moment, Armin shouted, "Hanjiiiii! I need your help!"

"This better be a life or death situation Arlert because your timing couldn't be worse!", Erwin said.

"Well, he knows, so technically, I am dead.", Armin said.

Hanji gasped in shock and said, "How screwed are we?"

"Worst case scenario, we need both of you.", Armin said pointing at Erwin and Hanji. 

**\-------**

Armin stared at Isabel and asked, "Are you ready?"

Isabel nodded and they walked inside the castle holding hands. They spotted Sasha and Connie near Levi's office. 

"Are you crazy!? Levi and Farlan are in there and they are really angry at you!", Sasha said.

"I know, I need a favor from you two.", Armin said. 

Sasha and Connie stared at each other, clueless, and asked, "What?!"

"Go into his office first and open the windows.", Armin said.

They both stared at him like he just lost his mind, Armin noticed it and said, "Just do it, you will understand later."

They nodded and entered the office. 

**\-------**

"If he thinks he can get away with this he is screwed!", Farlan shouted.

"Getting away with what exactly?", Armin asked while entering the office. 

Mikasa and Jean had to hold Levi, while Sasha, Connie, and Eren held Farlan.

"I will kill you!", Farlan shouted.

"And why is that?", Armin said while placing himself in front of Isabel protectively. 

"Stop it Farlan! Is not like he forced me to do anything! In fact, I was the one who sought him out in the first place!", Isabel shouted.

Suddenly a sound came from the windows of Levi's office making everyone stare at the source of the sound. They saw Hanji and Erwin hanging out of the windows with their ODM gear holding explosives and the Hangezooka. 

With a serious and calmed tone, Hanji said, "Let's talk this over like civilized people before we start to blow shit up, are we clear!?"

Levi and Farlan sat down with eyes wide open staring at Hanji and Erwin. 

Armin walked in front of them and said, "So, here is the deal, I want to be with Isabel, and she wants to be with me."

Levi gave him a death stare and said, "Don't you even think of doing filthy things to my sister!"

Armin returned the death stare and said, "You mean, the same filthy things you do to mine!?"

Farlan was going to stand up to punch Armin but Hanji pointed the Hangezooka at him and said, "If you can't win this fight with a smart argument I suggest you stay still and shut your mouth before I made a pinata out of your body."

Isabel sighed, and said to both of them, "I am completely capable of making my own decisions if you two can't see that, then the relationship you will be damaging won't be me and Armin's, it will be me and you."

Armin stared at both of them and tightened his hold on Isabel's hand and said, "I am not planning on fooling around with her. I promise to protect her, be there for her always, and love her with everything I've got. Which brings me to what I am about to ask you."

Mikasa cut him short and said, "Did you heard that Levi? Let me rephrase that for you. He said that Isabel won't end up like one of those women in the underground that you used to fool around."

Levi stared at her in shock, then, he gave Sasha a death stare making her yelp and hide behind Connie.

Annoyed at her interruption, Armin, stared at Mikasa, and said, "As I was saying.", then, he redirected his gaze to Levi, and continued, "I want you, the best, to train me so I can get better to protect her. I don't care how much extra time or how hard it will be for me. I want this, and I want to be sure that I will be more than capable of protecting her if the need arises."

Levi and Farlan stared at him shocked, then they looked at each other and nodded. Levi then talked, "I have to admit that you have huge balls to be able to stand up to us like this. I wouldn't expect anything less from anyone who wished to date my sister. We will train you, and you will accompany her on expeditions to make sure she comes back alive every time."

Armin nodded and said, "I would gladly give my life to keep her safe."

Farlan stood up and said, "Welcome to the family, if you break her heart, you are a dead man."

"I am perfectly capable of torturing and killing him myself.", Said Isabel.

Levi stood up and patted her on the head playfully and said, "I thought you so well."

Farlan placed an arm around Levi's shoulders and making a fake 'crying face' he said, "Our little monster is all grown up. I'm so proud."

Levi then, grabbed Isabel like a bag of potatoes and ran out of the office with her, and shouted, "We approved you two being together, but that doesn't mean we will make it easier!"

"Go! I'll block him!", Farlan shouted while blocking Armin from running behind Levi. Armin ran in the opposite direction, confusing Farlan, then he dropped to the floor pushing himself from the wall he slid between his legs and ran after Levi making Farlan run after him.

"At least they are not trying to kill him anymore.", Mikasa said relieved.

**\-------**

Walking Eren back to his cell Jean asked, "So, she is still ignoring you right?"

Eren sighed and said, "Could you blame her?"

"If I were her you would've been dead a long time ago.", Jean said.

"As you could ever be that pretty, horse face!", Eren teased.

"Oi! That's not the way you are supposed to address me!"

"Right, Sir Horseface, it is then."

Jean sighed defeated, changing the subject to avoid another fight he said, "So, how's life in prison going on for you?"

"Boring, at least Christa comes every afternoon to talk or to play board games. Sometimes Levi comes and has lunch with me also..."

"So, you no longer hate him?", Jean asked.

"I hate the fact that he is with Mikasa, but I also understand that they love each other, and she is happy with him.", Eren said.

"It's weird hearing you speak like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are always this type of 'Me. Me. Me.' person, that is weird that you take someone else's happiness over your own.", Jean said.

"I know, Levi called it selfless love, I guess I get it now..."

"Took you long enough you moron."

Eren rolled his eyes and said, "Says Sir Horseface, the one who never had the balls to tell her how he felt in the first place."

"I prefer that over the crap you pulled.", Jean said as he closed Erens' cell.

"Fighting again?", Christa, who was standing behind Jean, said.

Jean sighed, stared at her, and said, "I'll leave you in charge of the problematic shifters ass.", making Christa blush.

**\-------**

"Before our next expedition, we need to train on blocking signals when they affect us negatively. Like when you affected me when Kenny drugged you.", Levi said.

"So, I am no longer banned from future expeditions?", Mikasa asked.

"If we manage to control our connection, you will be allowed to join the rest of the team on future expeditions. There is also the Erens' factor...", Levi said.

"What do you mean?", Mikasa asked annoyed by the topic.

"I know you haven't forgiven him. Have you thought about it? Or do you keep ignoring the fact that you have to make a decision?", Levi asked.

"That's not your business.", Mikasa replied.

"It is, as your Captain, I need to know if that will affect the way you two fight together on the field. Also, as your boyfriend, I am worried about you."

"It won't affect our performance on the field."

"And what about how it affects you emotionally, out of the field, in your day to day life?"

"What do you mean?", Mikasa asked.

"I know you, Mikasa. You've been lost in your own head more than usual lately. I notice how you want to ask more about him every time I bring the topic but you restrain yourself. Don't you get it?"

"Get what?!"

"You are hurting yourself.", Levi said.

Mikasa sighed defeated, she stared at Levi thinking about how much she loved and hated how well he knew her. How well he could see through her, and his ability to keep her grounded.

Defeated, she asked him, "What do you suggest I should do?"

"Find a way to forgive him."

"What!?", Mikasa shouted.

"There is something you need to understand. If you don't forgive him, you won't be able to let go and heal. When you forgive, you don't do it for the other person, you do it for yourself."

"What do you mean with: 'for yourself'?"

"While you are losing sleep, hating him, hating everything he did, he is probably sleeping like a baby in his cell. While you spend all of this energy thinking about him and the reasons why you don't want to forgive him, he is spending his energy in a more productive manner. Forgiveness is letting go, finding peace for yourself. I am not saying to go back to the way things were before. That's another different issue."

"How can I forgive him when I am still so angry at him? The repercussions of what he did, and how it affected my whole life..."

"It's not something you can change now. Would you? Yes, it was fucked up to live kissing his ass, but you had to save him so many times that in the end, it made you a badass. All of what happened made you into the woman that you are so proud to be today. You could still be angry at him, but at least you won't need to restrain yourself from asking about him or just go and see him whenever you feel like it because you learned to let go. About the anger issue, you could ask Armin how he is handling it, or I could give you some ideas on how to get back at him and make his life miserable."

"I will think about it... he is the only family I have left... I will find a way...", Mikasa said lost in thought.

**\-------**

Hanji entered the Castle's kitchen and overheard the gang's conversation.

"These new trainings are ruthless, I feel like I am dying every day.", Armin complained.

"You were the one who asked Levi for extra training.", Jean said mockingly.

Armin rested his head on the table and said, "The things we do for love."

"Oi! Eren, so you can eat with us now?", Connie said.

"Yeah, and I get a couple of hours to hang outside the cell if I am accompanied by one of you guys.", Eren said cheerfully.

"These past months have been so stressful, we had barely had time to hang out like normal people.", Sasha said.

"Well, we have a couple of hours now, any suggestions?", Connie said.

"It's been a while since we've done anything stupid, so I'm up for suggestions.", Jean said.

"How about playing a game?", Sasha shouted.

"What are you talking about?", Jean asked.

"Well, how about a little of truth or dare to spice things up.", Sasha said.

"Really? Are you a twelve year old?", Jean said teasingly.

"Really!? Are you scared? Besides, you technically said that you wanted to do something stupid.", Sasha replied 

"I'll go first!", Eren said.

"Alright, truth or dare Eren?", Sasha asked.

"Dare!", Eren shouted.

"Steal something personal from the Captain." , Sasha said.

Hanji almost choked when she heard the conversation and silently stood up, and left without them even noticing she was there. _Oh, this will be good,_ she thought.

**\---- 20 minutes later ----**

Arriving back to the Castle's kitchen, running, gasping for air, and full of (already healing) cuts from broken glass, Eren said, "Don't even ask, just stop playing and hide, now!"

**\------** **Flashback-----**

"Do they really think that nobody knows?", Levi said incredulously.

"Mhm.", Mikasa said.

"I thought that they already made their relationship public since they are the least subtle couple I've seen."

"I told Sasha that, but it seems that she is waiting on Connie to take the initiative.", Mikasa said with a shrug.

Suddenly, they both looked at the door handle of Levi's office. Someone was trying to pick the lock.

Levi whispered to Mikasa, "Hide in the bathroom, I want to know who is stupid enough to try and break into my office."

Mikasa nodded and silently went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her while Levi rested his back against the wall next to the door, in the direction where it opened so he would be hidden when the person came in.

**Eren** **P.O.V.**

I was picking the lock of his office, he is not supposed to be there since Armin told me he had a meeting with Erwin now. Also, he is always out of his office during the mornings. I haven't picked a lock in a while but is not like I have forgotten how to do it.

I finally opened the door of his office. I entered silently looking for something that could convince the guys that were something personal of his. I didn't see anything in his office that looked personal enough, so I walked to the door of his room. _Something personal, something personal,_ I thought as I was looking around the ridiculously clean room of his.

I opened a drawer and saw his folded underwear. I grabbed one and thought _this seems personal enough._

**Levi** **P.O.V** **.**

I saw Eren looking through my things. _He just can't stay out of trouble, can he_? I thought as I silently followed him to my room.

He opened my underwear drawer, that's when I thought, _this shit is getting weird._ I cleared my throat loud enough to let him know that I was there.

**Author** **P.O.V.**

Hearing Levi clearing his throat right behind him, Eren reacted with a, 'too- high-frequency-to-be-male' scream followed by him throwing the underwear straight to Levi's face and running away from his office jumping through the glass window, next to his bed, breaking it. 

Levi stood there, staring at the broken window he thought: _How the fuck I am supposed to react to something like this?_

Suddenly, Mikasa got out of the bathroom and grabbed Levi's underwear from his face while trying to hold a laugh.

 **\----- End of** **Flashback---** -

They all ran to their rooms while cussing at Eren.   
  
Hanji, entered Levi's office and said, "You wouldn't believe what I heard in -", she stopped, stared at the broken window, and shouted, "What the fuck happened to your window!? Where you attacked!?"

At this, Mikasa couldn't hold her laugh any longer, she snorted laughing and said, "Eren got caught breaking into Levi's office and ran away, or more like 'flew away' through the window."

Hanji stared at them and said, "Oh, I might know what happened here and who the culprits of this little stunt are."

"I'm listening", Levi said.

Hanji explained to them what she heard in the Castle's kitchen.

"I see.", Levi said, then he addressed Mikasa and asked her, "Have you told him that you forgave him yet?"

"No, I was thinking of telling him tonight.", She answered.

"I have a better idea.", Levi said.

"What is it?", Mikasa asked.

"Don't you want some payback before you forgive him?", Levi said.

"Now?", Mikasa asked.

"Yes", Levi said with a smirk.

**\-------**

"Are we sure about this?", Armin asked.

"It was Levi's and Mikasa's idea you just have to play along.", Hanji said.

"Alright", Armin said as he went knocking on everyone's door.

They all got out of their rooms and stared at him and Hanji.

Hanji said excitedly, "You will be all assisting me today with my experiments, per your Commander orders. Jean, grab Eren and meet us all in the experimental grounds in fifteen minutes."

Jean nodded and headed his way to Eren's cell.

They arrived at the open field that is used for titan related experiments. They saw Erwin, Mikasa, and Levi sitting in three chairs and an empty chair next to Erwin.

"Sasha, Jean, Connie, and Eren walk with me to the middle of the field. Armin, stay close to them so you can take notes." Hanji then guided them and stood next to them.

Suddenly, Levi takes a megaphone from a box next to him and starts speaking through it.  
  
"Alright, you've been chosen to participate in this experiment, Mikasa is here to help us mitigate risks should they arrive... Sasha, Connie, and Jean you are here to be part of the experiment", he started saying, he paused then he continued, "This experiment is to test... If Yeager is capable of containing the titan in him while having sex."   
  
Hanji then threw a condom at them and ran to the empty chair next to Erwin.

After Hanji was seated, Levi continued, "We don't know Erens' sexual orientation so we brought both female and male subjects that are single. We have a suspicion of his sexual inclinations, so we thoughtfully, brought him two of the male department for him to choose. Now, choose one and start sexual intercourse." 

"I am not gay!", Eren shouted.

With a sarcastic tone, Levi said, "Really? We thought that because you broke into my office to steal my underwear. You don't have to pretend, we are in a 'judge free' zone here, Brat!"

Connie, Jean, and Sasha were shocked at what was happening. They all looked at Armin who was taking notes, Armin stared back at them and with an expressionless face he said, "Well, choose and start the coitus already, I don't have all day for this, I have a date with my girlfriend soon, and I would hate to keep her waiting."  
  
Connie gave a death stare to Eren and pulled Sasha behind him and said, "I am not letting you touch Sasha!"

"So now you two are official?! I am not gay so there is no other option!", Eren said.

"Are you sure you are not? Because the way you and Jean fight screams 'sexual-tension' between you two!", Connie shouted.

"Are you crazy!? Even if I were gay Eren would not be my type! Since you don't want to sacrifice Sasha, then sacrifice your ass. Everyone has already seen it anyways.", Jean shouted.

"I am pretty sure that you would be all over me if you were gay Horseface!", Eren shouted.

"Not a chance! I would like someone more petite and easy to handle, like Connie!", Jean shouted.

"As you could ever handle me!", Connie shouted.

Mikasa grabbed the megaphone and said, "Having performance issues? Just choose one and get this over with!"

Everyone stared in shock at Mikasa while Hanji snatched the megaphone from her and said, "I think is better if we start with Eren alone... Eren, transform, and try to get an erection..."

"Titans don't have a penis", Eren shouted.

Levi grabbed the megaphone and said, "That's just a theory, we still don't know if, in case of arousal, something that looks like a penis will pop out." 

Mikasa looked at Erwin, who had, what it looked like, a constipated face from trying to hold a laugh. She asked him, "Erwin are you okay?"  
  
Levi stared at Erwin and told him, "Keep it together! If you laugh they will know!"   
  
Then Eren shouted, "Are you seriously going to make me do that! Here!"   
  
Erwin couldn't hold it anymore and snorted laughing.

Levi stared at Erwin in disbelief and said through the megaphone, "That's what you get for breaking and entering, as for Connie, Sasha, and Jean, that's what you get for encouraging him! I hope you learned your lesson, you are now dismissed!" 

Connie grabbed Sasha by the waist and screamed, "Sasha is my girlfriend, we are not single!". Then he kissed her.

"I told you this would help those two too.", Levi whispered to Mikasa.

Mikasa stared at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then, she said, "I will talk to him now."

Mikasa walked to Eren and said, "I need to talk to you."

Eren nodded and said, "I realized what was one of my many problems. I am terrible at listening so I will fix it now, stand back."

Mikasa gave him a puzzled look as she stood back and watched him run away from her. When he was at a safe distance, he transformed. Then, in his titan form, he walked to her and picked her up to his shoulder.

Hearing the explosion of the transformation Levi shouted at him, "Yeager, what the fuck!?"

Eren stared at Levi in his titan form and gave him the middle finger. Then, Mikasa shouted to Levi, "It's okay! I will just talk to him and he will go back to his human self!"

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought, _I am going to lose my shit with these two,_ then he said, "Alright, just don't do anything stupid!"

"Did you just said: 'Don't do anything stupid' to Eren and hope that he will follow through?", Hanji asked.

Frustrated Levi said, "I know, at least Mikasa is with him, she will keep him more or less sane, I hope."

**\------**

"So, I guess you shifted to your titan form since you can't talk like this, right?", Mikasa asked, and Eren nodded.

"That was smart, I bet it was Armin's idea.", Mikasa said teasingly as she saw Erens' titan giving her a death stare making her laugh.

She then rested her back on his neck and sighed, then she said, "I forgive you.", she paused, not looking at him, she continued, "I am still angry at you, and this doesn't mean that things will go back to normal. But, it means that I will let you try to get my trust back, and I won't avoid you anymore. I will visit you at your cell and I will give you a piece of my mind whenever I feel like to.", she sighed and said, "Now that I've been honest, I have to confess that I have missed you. You are my family, my brother, and my stupid best friend..." She turned her head to look at him and noticed that his titan form was crying.

Before she could tell him to get out of his titan body she heard Armin screaming from the floor, "Before you change I also want to give you a piece of my mind without your smart mouth shutting me up!"

Mikasa laughed and Eren placed his Titan hand in front of him so he could climb. He placed him on the same shoulder that Mikasa was sitting on.

Then, Armin opened a notebook and said, "I've been waiting a while for this! I have a list of crap that I want to throw at you and not having to hear your voice to whine about it makes it ten times better. Let's start when we were eight years old..."

Mikasa rested her back against his neck again knowing that it was going to be a long conversation. She smiled to herself as she watched Armin scolding Eren and Eren's titan opening and closing its mouth as if Eren was trying to talk over Armin inside of the Titan but, of course, he couldn't.

**\------**

A year has passed and, surprisingly enough, Eren has not gotten himself into trouble after his last incident of breaking and entering. Armin has been training with Levi and Farlan getting surprisingly better with his ODM gear, and hand on-hand techniques. Mikasa and Levi are still together, even though fighting is part of their daily routine. Hanji and Erwin are living together for almost a year now.

Everything seemed calm and peaceful. Eren was at peace with Mikasa's and Levi's relationship even though he still loved her. Christa still visited him at his cell every afternoon, and they have gotten pretty close. That was until...

"I need you to tell me Mikasa!", Eren shouted, he started pacing in his cell with a panic look in his eyes.

"Calm down Eren, it's going to be fine!", Mikasa said.

**\------FlashBack-------**

"What board game did you bring today?", Eren asked.

"I didn't bring one today, I thought that we could just talk. If that is okay with you.", Christa said.

"Of course, is not like I am going anywhere.", Eren said jokingly.

Christa laughed nervously and said, "Well, there is something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now."

Curious about it, Eren said, "I am listening."

Christa closed her eyes and said, "I like you. Not like you are my friend 'I like you', more like I would like something more than a friendship 'I like you'."

**\------- End of Flashback-----**

"She is either a serial killer, a psychopath, a hidden shifter, or, like the last person that 'liked' me, ALL OF THEM!", Eren shouted.

Mikasa laughed and said, "Eren, calm down."

"You were the one who saw through Annie since the beginning. Do your magic thing and tell me, she wants to secretly kill me, right?", Eren asked.

"Eren, we've known Christa for years now. She never gave me that evil vibe that Annie gave me since the beginning. She is a caring, honest, and beautiful person. There is nothing you should worry about.", Mikasa said.

Eren dropped to the floor and said, "I panicked and I think I scared her away."

**\----Flashback----**

"Are you crazy?! What are your motives!? What do you want from me!", Eren shouted.

"I.. uh...", Christa said.

"What is your evil plan here huh?!", Eren shouted.

"Do you think I am evil!?", Christa shouted.

"I don't know! You tell me!", Eren shouted.

Christa ran away crying.

**\-------End** **of FlashBack-------**

Mikasa laughed and said, "I will talk to her."

"She probably hates me! I should find her and talk to her on the free hours I get out of the cell during the day...", Eren said frustrated.

"I think that's the best option. Just, stop thinking that everyone that likes you is evil.", Mikasa said.

"I guess Annie left me on a permanent attack mode in the relationships department.", Eren said.

"Well, it's your fault for not listening to me since the beginning! Anyways, let me know if you need help with that, I need to go to Hanjis' now and I think you should start preparing for your extra training with Levi today.", Mikasa said teasingly.

Eren sighed and said, "I know, I will let you know then... But if you get the slightest evil vibe coming from her let me know!"

Mikasa laughed and said, "I will."

**\-------**

"Hey, Levi told me to come to get you, are you joining us for training today?", Armin asked.

"Yeah, is either that or watching the walls of my cell and die from boredom. Besides, I could use the extra practice since you are getting better than me in ODM, and you know how competitive I can be.", Eren said.

They arrived at the ODM training grounds. It was raining and a thunderstorm was starting. The winds were so strong that it felt like a hurricane was passing by.

"Are you sure we should train like this?", Armin shouted.

"Yes, we should be able to use our gear in any type of weather. Today is going to be a good learning experience for both of you.", Levi said.

"Alright, I'm ready.", Eren said.

"Good, let's do the usual retreat exercise, let's go.", Levi said.

They shot through the trees, their speed made the raindrops felt like needles piercing through their skin. Visibility was low due to the dark clouds covering the sky above them, and the heavy rain. Levi was slower than usual, being cautious and keeping an eye for Eren and Armin. Suddenly a bolt of thunder lightning pierced through the sky and landed right in front of Eren, startling him, making him lose his sight for a moment. He couldn't see the next tree to shot the string of his gear, making him miss it. He fell to the ground and hit a rock on the ground with his temple. Blood started dripping out from the side of his head. Armin and Levi rushed to him as he started to pass out.

**Eren** **P.O.V.**

I heard Armin and Levi shouting at me, but I couldn't move my body. I heard Levi screaming near to my ear:

"I swear Yeager! If after all the crap we've been through, you die because you just fell and hit your head in such a pathetic way, I will be so fucking pissed at you that I will revive you just to kill you again!"

He then started screaming about all the possible ways he could painfully kill me again as his voice started to fade away. After that, blackness and silence.

I saw a light getting close to me, and a familiar voice of a man calling my name.

"Eren!"

"Who is there?", I replied.

"Did you forgot about me already?!", the voice said.

Then I heard another familiar voice, this time, of a woman, "What about me? If you forgot about me I will send another thunder, but this time, to your head!"

 _It can't be,_ I thought.

As the light got closer to me, I saw the shadows of two figures walking towards me.

"Oluo? Petra-San?!", I shouted.

Petra laughed and said to Oluo, "See! I knew he would shit himself when he saw us, I told you to find a more subtle way!"

"Am I... Dead?! What is going on?!", I shouted confused.

"Well, you are in between life and death right now, but your titan body is healing quickly so we don't have much time. We have something to ask of you", Oluo said.

"I'm listening.", I said.

Petra giggled and said, "Our friend will need a little push, you still have it, use it."

"Oh, and tell him, that it's an order.", Oluo said.

I smiled at them knowing what they meant, they slowly walked away holding hands and chuckling, they looked happy, at peace, like they just finished the last piece of unfinished business that they held on earth. They had trusted it to me.

Before fully disappearing Oluo said, "We trust you to finish this for us."

I smiled at them and said, "Leave it to me, I love you guys, you can now go and rest in peace, or do whatever ghosts do to be happy."

They laughed and disappeared.

I started hearing Levi's voice again as he said, "And that's the twentieth way I could painfully re-kill you if you die on me now, Brat!"

I opened my eyes and Armin gasped and said, "Are you okay?! You looked dead for a moment there!!"

"I think I was dead for a moment but I am okay now.", I said.

"Bullshit! We are going to the Infirmary now! I want Hanji to check you as soon as possible, can you walk?", Levi asked.

I nodded and we walked to the Infirmary.

**\------**

**Author** **P.O.V.**

"Hanji, if you are joking you have to know that you are taking it too far.", Mikasa said with a serious tone.

"I would never joke about something like this Mikasa.", Hanji said worriedly.

Mikasa started crying and with a broken voice, she said, "I... I...-", when the sound of the doors of the Infirmary being blasted open, cut her off.

"Hanji! Eren died! We need help!", Levi shouted.

"What!?", Mikasa screamed.

"I am fine Mikasa, Levi is just being overdramatic.", Eren said.

"You said it yourself that you died!", Levi shouted at him.

"What the hell happened!", Hanji shouted.

"The brat hit his head with a rock after getting scared by a stupid lightning bolt like a scared cat! I even think that he pissed himself a little!", Levi shouted.

"I am wet because it was raining!", Eren shouted back.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Brat! Hanji, check his head, the last thing we need is for him to lose more IQ points, he is already a pain in the ass the way he is we don't need him to get worse.", Levi said.

Hanji walked over to Eren to check his, already healed, injury, and said, "He looks fine to me."

Levi and Hanji started talking and Eren grabbed Mikasa's hand and walked far enough that they would be out of hearings range from them.

"What is wrong with you? What did Hanji tell you?", Eren asked her.

"Eren... Is what you thought, I'm scared...", Mikasa said.

"Leave it to me, you have nothing to worry about.", Eren said giving her a hug, while Levi looked at them puzzled.

"Yeager, when Hanji is done with you go to my office.", Levi said.

"I was going anyways, there is something I need to discuss with you.", Eren said confusing Levi even more. 

**\-------**

Levi was pacing in his office waiting for Eren. His mind was racing with a million thoughts that he had been pushing away for a while. He has noticed Mikasa more distant, at first, he was worried about her health but she always said that she was fine and that he was overreacting. He thought that she was depressed but any conversation about the topic would end up in a fight.

She was spending more time visiting Eren. But he didn't want to even phantom the idea of anything happening between both of them. _It can't be, I trust her,_ he thought. But again why would she hug him while crying at the Infirmary? Why would Eren know something that he doesn't?

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his thoughts when the door of his office burst open by Eren.

"If you are going to be with her, don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't give her a half-ass relationship!", Eren shouted at him.

Confused Levi said, "What are you talking about?"

Eren threw a folder to his desk and said, "Commit!"

Levi stared at the folder on his desk and opened it, he smiled when he saw the contents in it and said, "You kept this..."

"Of course I did! Now, let's get to work we have a lot to do!", Eren said.

"Eren, I don't think we should-', Levi said before Eren cut him off.

"For fucks sake Levi, I will tell you all the reasons why we should, and I promise, you will agree with me. But first I need to know, are you in or not? Because if you are not I will fucking kill you.", Eren said.

"Of course I'm in! Is just the way-", Levi said but Eren cut him short again.

"Alright now let me explain to you why we have to proceed this way, sit.", Eren said.

**\------**

A couple of weeks have passed since her conversation with Hanji. Mikasa has been avoiding almost every one since then, and she felt that everyone was avoiding her too. _Maybe I am overthinking everything, why would they avoid me?_ she thought.

After another emotional meeting with Hanji, she arrived at her room. She saw a piece of paper next to a dress on top of her bed. Confused, she took the piece of paper and looked at it. It was neatly folded with a soft light red string around it with a ribbon knot that kept the folded paper from opening. In the folded letter, neatly written on gold ink said:

_Mikasa_

She opened it and read:

_You have been invited to a highly classified event taking place today at sunset at the path formed by the trees in the middle of the ODM gear training camp. Wear this dress for the event. Someone will pick you up soon, be ready._

She saw the beautiful dress on her bed, it was a beautiful light pink dress with embroidered white roses. It was fitted at the top, with elbow-length sleeves. The skirt was full and billowy and was below knee length. The shoes she saw on the floor in front of the dress were white closed flat shoes, ballerina style.

She snapped out of her trance when someone knocked at her door. _Shit! Is it the person that is supposed to pick me up? I am not ready yet!_ she thought.

"It's me, Sasha! Open the door!"

Mikasa opened the door and Sasha got into her room with a backpack. She stared at Mikasa and said, "So, what are you waiting for? Go get a bath, I am here to help you get ready for the event."

"What is going on!?", Mikasa asked her confused.

"Did you read the letter?", Sasha asked.

"Yes.", Mikasa said, staring at Sasha suspiciously.

"Then you know is highly classified so we will know when we get there! Now, move and take a bath, we don't want to be late!", Sasha said while pushing Mikasa into the bathroom.

She took a bath, and put the dress on, Sasha put her hair in an updo braided bun with a few strands of hair falling on the sides of her face. Then, she helped her with her makeup. She didn't need much of it, but Sasha added a soft pink lipstick as a finishing touch.

"There! I am proud of my masterpiece. Now, I am leaving, someone will pick you up soon.", Sasha said.

"But, aren't you going to the event?!", Mikasa asked.

"Yes! That's why I am leaving, to get ready!", Sasha said as she left her alone in the room.

Mikasa put her shoes on and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked like a happy innocent woman, nobody would even imagine that she was the second strongest in humanity, that she has killed Titans and humans without a second thought. She sighed and she said to herself,

"I have to admit, I look pretty with this look."

Then, someone knocked at her door. She opened the door and saw Eren. He was with a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and light blue dressing pants. He stared back at her from head to toe and smiled.

"I see you are ready my lady ", he said.

"Eren, what's going on?", Mikasa asked.

"I am here to walk you to the event.", Eren said, as he extended his elbow and said, "Take my arm."

Mikasa looped her arm under his, and they started to walk to the event.

"So, Sasha wouldn't tell me, and I guess you won't either.", Mikasa said looking at Eren.

"You guessed right.", Eren said.

Mikasa sighed and said, "As long as I don't end up being kidnapped again, or running away from the military police, or beating someone up, I guess I'll be fine."

Eren smiled and said, "Don't worry, you will survive."

Mikasa stared at Eren in shock and said, "Survive! What are you planning!? You crazy, problematic man!"

Eren laughed and said, "Relax, we are almost there."

They reached the middle of the ODM training grounds. She stared in shock at the sight. The path between the line of trees was covered in a mix of white and light pink rose petals. In the end, Levi was standing staring at her.

He had a light blue button-up shirt, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Dark blue dressing pants with a pair of black dressing shoes.

Mikasa looked back at Eren waiting for answers. Eren smiled at her and gave her a kiss on her forehead, then he let her arm go and said, "Go to him." She looked back at Levi and started to walk towards him.

Then, she heard the sound of smoke guns being shot, she redirected her gaze to the sound and saw that there was a cadet on each line of trees across the path she was in, all the way to Levi. They were interlaced, starting with one on top of the tree at the right side of the path, and the next in line, on top of the tree on the left side. The flare color they fired was white, and it drew interlaced white lines on the sky at a 45-degree angle from the rose path she was on.

She noticed that each cadet on the trees had a roll of, what it looked like, a soft white fabric. Confused, she started walking towards Levi, when the cadet nearest to her, which was Jean, swung in a perpendicular line with respect to the path, from his tree at the right side to the tree in front of him at the left side of the path. As he swung, the roll he was holding unrolled, the end of the fabric was pinned to the tree where he swung from. The unrolled fabric, perpendicularly on top of the path, had something written in gold letters:

_Will..._

She kept walking past it and the other cadet, Connie, swung to the tree in front of him in the same manner but to the opposite direction:

_...you..._

Walking past it, the last cadet, Armin, swung, in the same manner, resulting in the final words:

_...marry me?_

**\-------FlashBack------**

"Of course I'm in! Is just the way-", Levi said but Eren cut him short again.

"Alright now let me explain to you why we have to proceed this way, sit.", Eren said.

"Look, I am in on asking her to marry me, hell, I would do it right now, to be honest. But don't you think that using Oluos' proposal plan would be disrespectful to their memory?", Levi asked Eren.

"Look, when I hit my head, something happened, you might think that I am crazy but, I know that it was real.", Eren said.

"You are telling me that I would think that you are crazy? Do you remember the magic weird fairy dust bond that I have with Mikasa? Trust me, at this point nothing you say to me would sound crazy.", Levi said.

"Okay, when I said that I was dead is because I was literally in some sort of dimensional plane between life and death. I know it because I saw Oluo and Petra. He was the one who gave me the idea, and he said that it was an order. They also said that they were the ones who sent the lightning bolt, so those motherfuckers nearly killed me to give you this message.", Eren said.

Levi laughed and said, "You must think that I am crazy but that sounds so much like something they would definitely do that I believe you."

Eren stared at him intently and said, "Besides, when you were explaining all of this 'proposal plan' to me, it felt like this plan was something YOU would've liked to do for YOUR future partner."

"You are right, but by that time I had lost hope of finding anyone who would stay with me or at least someone who would live long enough for that type of relationship. I never even dared to such wishful thinking until I met Mikasa. She was as badass as me on the field, she could survive as long as me, but I couldn't stand her ass and she hated my guts. Funny how things worked out in the end.", Levi said with a smile.

"So you gave your idea away, I see.", Eren said.

"Well, Oluo said it was an order, so let's get to work.", Levi said jokingly.

"Good, because I changed the names of the cadets to our current elite squad and adjusted...", Eren kept going about the plan.

**\-----End of FlashBack-----**

The last cadet, Armin, swung, in the same manner, resulting in the final words:

_...marry me?_

Mikasa walked until she was standing in front of Levi, he got down on one knee and opened a little box revealing a ring. 

**\-------FlashBack------**

"Everything is set up.", Eren said.

"Did you tell Sasha about her role?", Levi asked.

"Yes, I gave her the money and told her to buy the dress and to take care of all the womanly stuff that day. I also told her to bring back the difference if the dress cost less than what we gave her but she gave me an evil smirk and sarcastically said, 'Of Course, I will.', so I don't think she will give us the difference.", Eren said.

"As expected from her.", Levi said.

"Now, the only thing we have left is to practice.", Eren said.

"What!?", Levi shouted.

"Yes, you have to practice how to ask her! It's Mikasa, it has to be perfect or I will kill you!", Eren shouted.

"But the message will be loud and clear! 'Will you marry me?', it will literally be written, what else do I have to add to that!?", Levi protested.

"So what!? You will go on one knee, show her the ring and act mute?!", Eren said while staring at Levi in disbelief.

Levi was lost in thought and asked, "What is wrong with doing that?"

Eren shook his head and said, "You will need more practice than what I thought. Let's start, get on one knee!"

"What! Here? With you?! No!", Levi protested.

"Do it for Mikasa! Pretend I am her!", Eren shouted.

"You look nothing like her!"

"Good thing I came prepared then.", Eren said while pulling a woman's wig of short black hair from his backpack and putting it on.

Levi stared at him in disbelief and said, "You still look nothing like her."

"Well, I also brought one of her, stretchy enough for me to squish into it, dress. I bet-", Eren said while Levi cut him short.

"Fuck that!", he said while getting on one knee, "I will practice like this, don't put anything else on, I don't need you to traumatize me."

"Good", Eren said.

Suddenly the door of his office slammed open scaring the shit out of Levi making him jump and fall on his butt on the floor with a 'thud' sound. Armin got into the office, stared at both of them, and said, "Good, I am on time." He closed and locked the door behind him and pulled another black wig from his backpack, the same as Erens', and he put it on, then he said, "Let's do the practice."

Levi stared at both of them in disbelief and said, "What the fuck is it with you two and those horrible wigs!"

"Is to inspire you Levi!", Armin said.

"Inspire me! You are inspiring me to run into the nearest titan mouth to become Titan poop!", Levi shouted.

Armin leaned towards Eren and said, "I told you that we should've bought the fake boobs too! That would've definitely worked!"

"There is no turning back now!", Eren whispered back.

"Let's just practice.", Levi said annoyed.

**\------ 45 minutes** **later-----**

"My name is Levi Ackerman and my purpose is to make YOU marry ME!", Levi said.

"At least that one is better than the 'Marry me, Brat! Is an order!' one", Armin said frustrated.

"Or the 'Marry me or die.' one.", Eren said.

Levi sighed frustrated and Eren said to Armin, "Let's just keep practicing until we get something decent enough out of him."

"No! I'm done! I will know what to say when I see HER, not two bad fake impersonations of her!", Levi shouted pointing at both of them.

**\-----End of FlashBack-----**

Mikasa walked until she was standing in front of Levi, he got down on one knee and opened a little box revealing a ring. **  
**

Levi sighed and smiled, staring at her, he asked, "Would you give me the honor, to grow old with you?"

Hearing this, Armin looked at Eren and mouthed to him, "He nailed it!" while giving him a thumbs-up, making Eren release the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

Mikasa smiled and guided him back up to his feet, she placed her forehead against his and said, "Read my waves", he closed his eyes and did as he was told, he nodded, then she continued:

"Now, read my waves a little lower."

Confused, he nodded, and when he read lower, he sensed a small string of waves coming from her lower abdominal area. He shot open his eyes and gave a step back to stare at her in shock.

"Are you...?", he asked.

**\-----FlashBack------**

"For fucks sake Mikasa! Do you really think that I haven't noticed it!? You look pale, you are tired all the time, I am worried about you! Just go to Hanji and tell her to check you up! Why are you avoiding a stupid medical check, it wouldn't even take long!", Eren shouted at her.

Mikasa was avoiding his gaze and Eren stared at her suspiciously and said, "I also heard you vomiting this morning. Is there something you are not telling me?"

Mikasa kept avoiding his gaze and it made him more suspicious, he asked, "Are you pregnant!? Are you avoiding the check because you think you might be!?"

"I don't know!", Mikasa shouted back crying.

"Why are you even crying!? Is not a bad thing, right?", Eren asked confused.

"I don't know! Yes, Levi and I are together, but I don't know how serious he wanted to go with me? We have never talked about living together, or kids, or if he even wants those things! What if he doesn't!? We are two fucked up human beings, what can we offer to a child!", Mikasa shouted in panic.

"First of all, calm down, you are panicking and not thinking rationally.", Eren said.

"Rationally?! Alright, I will give you a rational scenario, we are in the future, out on an expedition, I ask him if he bought the diapers for the baby and he forgot if he bought them or not, he keeps thinking about it and lose his concentration on the field and a Titan grabs him and eats him!", Mikasa shouted.

"Levi's overdramatic scenarios where people always end up dead are rubbing off on you. Look, just get checked, if you are pregnant, I'm sure he will be happy about it, he loves you. I am pretty sure he would marry you without giving it a second thought.", Eren said.

"I don't know if he will or if he wants to!", Mikasa shouted.

"Just, go to Hanji, we can handle the rest together, you are not alone, you have me and Armin. Also, the entire elite squad. Let's take it a step at a time, okay?", Eren said, and Mikasa nodded.

**\-----End of FlashBack------**

"Are you pregnant? Please say yes, it will make me the happiest man alive.", Levi said.

Mikasa smiled at him and said:

"Yes, and Yes!"

He then hugged her picking her up from the floor and yelled:

"She said yes!"

Everyone started cheering, and he yelled again:

"And we are going to have a little brat!!!"

Everyone said, "What!"

Then Hanji started screaming, "Ackerbabies!!! We are gonna have Ackerbabies!!!!"

Making everyone cheer louder.

"That's right Kristein, she is going to have My baby!", Levi shouted making Jean roll his eyes while everyone laughed.

Eren stared at them from the beginning of the path where he let Mikasa go to walk towards Levi. He was smiling as he thought, _so this is what you meant with 'selfless_ _love'_ _Levi? I still love her, and I would kill to be in your position right now but her happiness gives me a sense of peace that drowns out any other feeling I could feel at the moment. She is happy, and that's all that matters..._ He started walking towards them.

Sasha hugged Mikasa and then she lowered herself to address Mikasa's belly and said, "I will be the best aunt ever my little potato, you just wait and see. I will spoil you so much! Don't tell your mom!"

Eren laughed at her comment and said, "Baby potato will love me more, you will see."

"Not nearly enough as to how much baby potato will love me!", Armin said.

"Guys! Let's go to the mess hall to celebrate, everything is ready!", Hanji shouted.

"Don't tell me you stole again from Pixis.", Eren said.

"Hey! He donated his alcohol again, he doesn't know it but he did, alright!", Hanji shouted making everyone laugh.

"Pregnancy police here! Mikasa you are not allowed to drink!", Sasha said.

"I know Sasha, I wasn't planning to.", Mikasa said to her rolling her eyes.

"Good, because for now on I will be monitoring you all the time, and we will plan so much baby stuff you will get sick of me...", Sasha went on talking about all of her plans while they all walked to the mess hall.

When they opened the mess hall doors, Levi shouted, "She said yes!", Making everyone who was there waiting in anticipation cheer to them.

Eren watched Christa who shyly waved at him. He smiled at her and walked towards her.

**\------FlashBack-------**

"Hey, have you seen Christa? I knocked at her door and she didn't answer, and I can't find her anywhere.", Eren asked.

"You mean, the girl that is purposefully avoiding you because you were a douchebag with her? Yes, I've seen her, and no, I will not tell you where.", Ymir said.

"Look, I know I fucked up, I want to apologize to her and let her slap me on the face if that makes her feel better.", Eren said.

"In that case, if you let me slap you too, I might remember where she is at.", Ymir said.

"Okay, you can-", Eren said but was cut short by Ymir slapping his face.

"She is in her room, she is just not answering you.", she said while leaving Eren holding his slapped cheek behind.

Eren went back to Christa's room and knocked on her door and said, "Christa, I know you are in there, if you don't open the door I will pick the lock and open it myself."

Christa opened the door and gave him a death stare while saying, "If I ever caught you looking through my stuff without permission I will kill you."

Eren pushed the door open, let himself in, and said, "Good, now let's talk."

"What do you want!", Christa said while closing the door behind her.

"To apologize, I acted like an ass. I panicked when you told me that you liked me. I thought that someone like you liking someone like me was too good to be true so I freaked out.", Eren said.

"What do you mean, someone like me?", Christa said.

"Someone as good as you! Christa, I need you to understand that I am very fucked up, VERY. You definitely deserve someone so much better than me, that's why I never thought that you could see me that way. When you told me I just freaked out! The last person that was interested in me ended up being a shifter traitor psychopath that literally wanted to kill me. I just...", Eren said

"I know, you have told me everything. I also know that you love Mikasa, I never intended to replace her in any way. I just enjoy your company a lot. I thought that maybe we could give it a try, that's all.", Christa said avoiding his gaze.

"I also enjoy your company. Every day I find myself looking forward to our afternoon hanging out routine. It has become my favorite part of the day, to be honest. Christa, I would love to give it a shot with you, but I wouldn't forgive myself if I end up hurting you...", Eren said.

"Do you think that I am weak? I am part of the Survey Corps, I've survived loss and horrible things like everyone else here. Do you think that a stupid heartbreak will hurt me? What will hurt me more is the thought of what could've happened if we gave it a shot. If it doesn't work, then at least I will know, but uncertainty? That's something that could hunt you way more than heartbreak.", Christa said.

"I need you to promise me something then.", Eren said.

"What?"

"If I ever do or say something that hurts you. Or if I act in any way that makes you feel any other thing than happy around me, you will slap me on the face and let me know in that instant."

"I could gladly do that.", Christa said with a smile.

Eren smiled back at her and said, "I truly don't deserve you. But, I will make my best effort to make you happy."

**\-----End** **of** **Flashback-----**

"It seems like I will be an uncle.", Eren said.

Christa sighed in shock and said, "Congratulations!"

"I will need your help with being baby potato's favorite uncle. Armin is already challenging me for the title and I don't plan to back down.", Eren said jokingly.

"Hmm, I can help you with that.", Christa said.

Eren placed his arm around her shoulders and said, "That means that you will have to stay with me for years to help me with that."

Christa blushed at his words and stared at him, then she said, "I wouldn't mind."

"I already can't get you out of my head so you better get ready for a lifetime of crazy nonsense, and trouble. Are you sure you are up for it?", Eren asked.

"Trouble and crazy nonsense are what makes life fun to live.", Christa answered with a smile.

Levi surprised Mikasa with an unexpected hug from behind her back. He kissed the back of her neck and said, "Baby potato is already causing trouble."

Mikasa stared at the Elite team and saw them fighting over who would get the "Best Uncle" title.

"I am a shifter, there's nothing cooler than that! Of course, the baby would love me more!", Eren shouted.

"I will teach baby potato where Levi hides all the candies and Goodies. That will definitely give me the first place over you!", Sasha said.

"Oh please! I will have baby potato leading a squad in no time. None of you could ever do that!", Jean shouted.

"I could! Also, I can teach him formation techniques and basic planning that he could use to get what he wants in life!", Armin shouted.

"I am one step ahead from everyone, I already ordered a baby size Survey Corps. uniform to teach baby potato how to use the ODM gear. I am already the best!", Connie shouted.

Mikasa sighed and said to Levi, "This will be a wild ride."

The End.

Image from: [Baby Potato image](https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/BABY-POTATO-Cute-Potato-Gift-by-Luna-May/42841973.O9UDB)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommendations for future stories or ideas to modify this one are more than welcome! Let me know what you thought of my story!
> 
> You can also find me on wattpad with the user: FefiprAnon  
> I am usually more active there since the app mobile interface is more user friendly.


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